LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – A Southwest Louisiana-born chicken restaurant is expanding with a new location in Lake Charles.
Blazin’ Hot Chicken is opening its second restaurant in the area, this time on Nelson Road. The co-founders say bringing the business to Lake Charles is especially meaningful because of their personal ties to the community.
For co-founder Umair Abbasi, Lake Charles is home. He attended Barbe High School and graduated from McNeese, and says having his children grow up in the community makes opening the new location even more special.
“Lake Charles is home for me. Blazin was born here,” Umair said. “I went to Barbe High School. I graduated from McNeese. My kids are now growing up in this amazing community.”
Blazin’ Hot Chicken’s first location opened in Westlake. According to co-founder Adil Ali, the support from the Westlake community helped the restaurant grow and eventually expand to its Ryan Street location.
Now, the company is bringing its food to another part of Lake Charles.
“Our first location was in Westlake. We got a lot of support from the community there which in turn made us grow to Ryan Street, and now the community reached out and put one on this side of town,” Ali said.
The new restaurant also features artwork created by local award-winning artist Jeremy Price, adding a Southwest Louisiana connection to the restaurant’s interior.
Blazin’ Hot Chicken says its food is made in-house and served fresh.
The restaurant’s marketing director says the new location has been a long time coming and is a way for the company to give back to the community that has supported its growth.
“It’s been a long time coming for this location in particular,” the CMO said. “We are just excited because Lake Charles is home for us to be able to share this community that’s been able to support us this far.”
Grand opening
The grand opening of Blazin’ Hot Chicken’s new Lake Charles location is scheduled for Friday, August 28, at 3:30 p.m.
A ribbon cutting ceremony will mark the official opening of the new restaurant.
The new location is on 4407 Nelson Road in Lake Charles.
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