Chicken News

Mansfield restaurant to bring handheld chicken & waffles to Fort Worth area

A convenient way to eat your chicken on the go.

Courtesy photo

UPDATE: Chick'nCone officially opened for business on Saturday, March 26.

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A novel restaurant concept is coming to the Fort Worth area, tailor-made for those on the go. Called Chick'nCone, it does something you never knew you wanted: It allows you to eat chicken & waffles in an easy, convenient movable-feast cone.

It's a Pennsylvania-based chain and they're opening their first Tarrant County location at 2751 E. Broad St. #113, in Mansfield.

Their signature dish is a house-made waffle cone, filled with boneless bite-size fried chicken tenders, drizzled with your sauce of choice, be it the signature Cinna-Maple, to approximate the full chicken & waffles experience, or the spicy Buffalo Blue.

And then off you go, to enjoy your chicken & waffle experience without fork, liberated from the constraints of a table or dining room.

Based in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, Chick'nCone — and yes, that's how it's typed, with an apostrophe, lower-case "n", and no space between the "n" and the Cone, which is vexing to say the least — was founded in 2016 by Jonathan Almanzar and Josh Lanier, first as a food truck before expanding to a fast-casual concept that could be franchised.

It made its Texas debut in Houston, then Austin, and there are now locations in Florida, California, Ohio, Kentucky, Colorado, plus Toronto and Dubai.

The first Dallas-Fort Worth location opened in Deep Ellum in mid-October.

Bringing it to Tarrant County are husband-and-wife Ontario and Cassandra Rowe. They've just started construction and hope to be open by the end of the year.

"We loved the concept and wanted to bring it to Mansfield," Cassandra says. "We live here, our kids went to Mansfield schools, and we wanted to do something for our community."

In addition to the chicken in the cone, the menu features two other "chick'n" items: Chick'nTenders and a Chick'nSandwich.

Sides include Cajun fries (spelled Caj'nFries), spicy Cajun corn (aka Caj'nCorn), and mac & cheese (Mac'nCheese, of course). There are also Waffle Crunch milkshakes, topped with a candied waffle crunch.

Having your chicken in a portable version is well on its way to becoming a trend:

In February, a concept called Buttercup Chicken Tenders opened at Legacy Hall, the food hall in Plano, with tenders that can be served in a cup or a cone.
In mid-October, Surfin' Chicken, a new chain from Croatia known for serving chicken and fries in a uniquely portable package, opened its first location in the U.S. in the Dallas area in a Walmart in Mesquite.

The message is clear: People not only want their chicken tenders, they want them in a mobile manner.

openings

Closure News

Tropic Lady restaurant-bar on Fort Worth's Race Street says aloha

Tropic Lady

The dip trio at Tropic Lady.

A chill restaurant and bar in Fort Worth's River East district has closed: Tropic Lady, which opened in the former Fuzzy's Taco space at 2719 Race St. in 2023, has closed.

The restaurant, which closed in mid-December, was a sibling to Bearded Lady, the popular gastropub in Near Southside; their last Facebook post was on December 10. Their phone number is not working, and their website is no longer active. Owner Shannon Osbakken was unavailable for comment, but a Bearded Lady employee confirmed the closure.

Tropic Lady was a tropical-themed gastropub opened by a trio of friends: Bearded Lady owner Shannon Osbakken, her business partner Sarah Allen, and general manager Amanda Yunger. It offered a similar menu as Bearded lady but with more tropical-inspired fare, including shrimp tacos, bacon-wrapped grilled pineapple bites, and guacamole dotted with mango.

For a gastropub, they did interesting food with dishes like watermelon salad with feta and cucumber; or their Dip Trio, with mango guacamole, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco served with house-made tortilla chips. Definitely not run-of-the-mill. They also had great lunch specials like a smashburger with curly fries for $10.

Food did not seem to be the problem.

Decor featured artwork and murals created by local artists. A beautifully landscaped patio wrapped around the building’s facade. So the setting did not seem to be a factor.

It's tempting to point the finger at its location on Race Street, which has witnessed a round of closings in the past two years including buzzy birria taqueria Caliscience, which closed in February 2024; as well as The Post at River East, a restaurant and live music venue that shut down the same month.

In 2023, three other restaurants on Race Street closed: Tributary Cafe, the Bon Appetit-lauded La Onda, and vegan burger spot Zonk Burger. But separate reasons can also be found for each of those closures, whether that be inexperience or lease issues.

For years, the city and neighborhood advocates have been trying to turn Race Street into a trendy hotspot. As part of the city’s Urban Villages program, the city of Fort Worth invested $5.6 million in revitalizing the area, making improvements to traffic flow, sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor lighting.

When Osbakken opened the bar, she said she loved the area, stating "it reminds me of Magnolia when were first were on it 10 years ago in our old location. It's a great community and the neighbors have been friendly and reaching out."

And there are still restaurants along the street, including a popular Mexican restaurant called Tesoro, the Dough’d Up doughnut shop, and Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, as well as a coffee shop, Race Street Coffee.

The Bearded Lady continues to flourish. Osbakken originally opened the popular gastropub on Magnolia Avenue in 2013. Six years later, she moved it to the South Main, where it’s still going strong.

closings