Chicken + Beer, the Atlanta-based airport restaurant named after Ludacris’ 2003 studio album, is expanding to LAX, located at 300 World Way, Terminal 3.
The rapper and Jackmont Hospitality, led by CEO Daniel Halpern, is getting ready to open a second location after a successful debut in the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The expansion comes nearly six years after the Atlanta-based rapper launched the concept, named because after the diet he maintained while recording the album. It’s unknown when the restaurant will open, but when it does, customers can expect plenty of Southern-style comfort food and locally sourced beers.
The restaurant, led by culinary director chef Rodd Richards and chef de cuisine Gary Caldwell, proudly serves reimagined classics such as the battered catfish with corn edamame succotash and parsnip purée and Luda’s chicken and pecan waffles with whiskey maple syrup and andouille sausage. The menu integrates lesser used staples of the traditional Southern catalog like Stout Braised Beef Cheeks with Sweet Potato Mash. As for beer, the company will partner with nearby breweries to offer a variety of local beers.
Chicken + Beer will join several other eateries already in Terminal 3, such as Earthbar, Panda Express, Shake Shack, Ashland Hill, and The Parlor. The new addition will broaden the selection for travelers, considering none of the current restaurants feature Southern comfort food. Hopefully, the LAX location won’t take as long as the Atlanta debut, which took about three years to launch because of airport construction politics and the rapper’s own perfectionism. A recent liquor license application suggests the restaurant is coming sooner than later.
