One of the hottest Nashville Hot Chicken restaurants in Los Angeles, Howlin’ Ray’s, is opening a new location in Pasadena, located at 800 S. Arroyo Pkwy.
Owner Johnny Zone is finally ready to open his second Pasadena location in 14-16 weeks, around May 2022. He tells What Now Los Angeles customers can expect plenty of changes with this new restaurant, mainly surrounded around how restaurants operate in the post-pandemic world. In other words, the restaurant’s layout will focus on spacing in bathrooms, seating, and waiting lines. Other changes include additional parking behind the restaurant, along with street signage, previously relying on Instagram and word-to-mouth.
The restaurant design isn’t the only thing that will be different in this new restaurant. Zone says this Howlin’ Ray’s will be the first to have a variety of wine and beers. He also plans to add a few new menu options, such as chicken nuggets and a new sandwich with no mayo, described as the “AC/DC punk rock version of our current sandwich.” The new restaurant will continue to offer its standard mouth-watering items from the original locations, with all food being customized based on spiciness, ranging from country to howlin’.
The new restaurant is a massive accomplishment for Zone, who had to max out credit cards to open the first restaurant. Before Howlin’ Ray’s, the accomplished chef worked under Gordon Ramsey, Joël Robuchon, and Andy Cook. His success led him to be featured on Esquire, FYI Network, and several Food Network shows. Then, in June 2015, Zone and his wife Amanda Chapman opened their first Nashville Hot Chicken food truck in Los Angeles after being introduced to the local spicy fried chicken specialty in Nashville the previous year.
A year after the food truck, the couple launched their first brick-and-mortar in Chinatown before expanding to Pasadena. Although the restaurants are currently shuttered by the pandemic and are presently operating through a ghost kitchen via Postmates, Zone says he and his staff are excited to offer in-person dining once again.
