Honey Butter Fried Chicken will close its Glencoe location

It’s a tough month to be a chicken restaurant in the North Shore.

Honey Butter Fried Chicken announced on Thursday that it will close its Glencoe location that opened just 10 months ago. The news comes a couple of weeks after Clucker’s Charcoal Chicken announced the closure of its Wilmette location.

Honey Butter’s final day in Glencoe reportedly will be Sunday, Oct. 27.

A Facebook post from Honey Butter ownership reads that following a successful opening, “it became clear … (Honey Butter Fried Chicken) just wasn’t a great fit for the location.”

The post goes on to cite post-pandemic changes in production costs and diners’ behavior as contributors to the restaurant’s challenges.

“Obviously, we are very disappointed and sad,” the post reads. “We really did try our very best, and we are sorry that things aren’t working out as we planned.”

Serving a variety of chicken dishes, from plates and strips to sandwiches and salads, Honey Butter Fried Chicken debuted in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood, 3361 N. Elston Ave., more than a decade ago. Co-owners Josh Kulp and Christine Cikowski opened a long-sought second location in Glencoe in January 2024. The Facebook post says the Chicago location is not impacted by the pending Glencoe closure.

The 4,000-square-foot Glencoe space at 668 Vernon Ave. formerly housed Poppy’s Social, a concept of Pete Kadens, a well-known Chicagoland entrepreneur and philanthropist. Poppy’s Social also lasted less than a year (from September 2021 to the summer of 2022).

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