Daddy’s Chicken Shack
by Laura Breen Galante
Heads up, chicken lovers! There’s a new daddy in town. Delicious, pressure-cooked or grilled chicken is sure to please at Daddy’s Chicken Shack, located in the Park Place shopping plaza off County Road 46A in Lake Mary.
Owners Ed and Gayla Zausch are originally from Indiana but relocated to the Central Florida area 20 years ago with their three sons. Following in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps, Ed and his family recently opened the new Daddy’s Chicken Shack.
“The most important thing that my dad taught me was standards,” says Ed. “Everything needs to be done properly. Do everything right. Do the things that need to be done, and the score – the income – will take care of itself.”
This mantra has helped him achieve success in a number of business opportunities. And chicken is no different.
Based in California, the Daddy’s Chicken Shack franchise is an emerging brand. Its original restaurant, which opened in 2017, was such a crowd-pleaser that the owners decided to franchise. The new location in Lake Mary is the first store in Florida and also the first Daddy’s Chicken Shack restaurant east of the Mississippi. Within three to four years, expectations are that the franchise will grow to 150 stores across the country.
Food Served Fresh and Made to Order
When looking for a new business opportunity, Ed and one of his sons attended an expo, tried the chicken, and were sold.
“The food is fantastic,” says Ed. “It’s not assembly-line food. It’s just really good, free-range chicken, with no hormones or additives, marinated in a secret brine for 24 hours, then cooked fresh.”
A lot of places make the food somewhere else and ship it to franchise locations, but not Daddy’s. Everything is cooked on site and to order. Nothing is frozen, and none of the food is prepared in a microwave. It may take a few minutes for your food, but it’s worth the wait.
The menu offers chicken sandwiches – grilled or pressure cooked, which is a healthier alternative to deep frying – plus nuggets and tenders. The tasty chicken can be topped with a number of specialty sauces made in-house including jalapeño ranch, rémoulade, chive sour cream, ginger mayo, and sriracha mayo. The menu also offers Nashville hot chicken, which Ed says is hot-hot.
“If you go for extra hot, you won’t find hotter,” he says with a laugh. “We’ve had people order the Nashville Daddy who were sure they could handle it, but they were not so sure after they started it.”
Breakfast is served all day and includes burritos and homemade waffles. Seasoned and loaded fries, with or without sriracha, are a big hit, served by a fantastic staff.
Daddy’s Chicken Shack is sure to be a great addition to the myriad quick-serve options in Lake Mary. Ed chose to set up shop here because Lake Mary is his hometown. He plans to support the community with in-kind donations and individualized interaction and support.
“We want to be involved in the community as a positive force,” says Ed.
Some say Daddy’s chicken is a life-altering chicken sandwich. Give it a try at Daddy’s Chicken Shack in Lake Mary, where Ed and his team are eager to serve you.