ChkChk to Fry Its Last Chicken Sandwich February 14

Opening February 2016, ChkChk sought to revamp the fast-food fried-chicken sandwich, but the counter-service restaurant now tells Eater it will close its doors end-of-day tomorrow, February 14. Located at 1305 NW 23rd Ave., the 1970-square-foot ChkChk space was established by Aaron and Jessica Grimmer, the restaurateurs behind The Picnic House, Barlow Artisanal Bar, and High Noon.

ChkChk had a charitable mission: to raise money for Portland’s Q Center. And it reports raising $20,000 for the nonprofit over the past year.

But it appears the fried-chicken competition in Portland was too tough to sustain the endeavor. In 2016, fried chicken spots opened across the city, including the first local locations of the controversial Chick-Fil-A franchise. ChkChk had hoped to stand out by featuring Draper Valley Farms chicken fried in non-GMO rice bran oil—plus myriad signature sauces.

On its last day, ChkChk will open as usual and throw a farewell party dubbed Valentine’s Day Unicorn Ball, from 6 to 9 p.m. Here’s the full goodbye:

To all our Portland peeps,

Over the past year, your support, smiles, and shared celebration of all things joyous and unique have sustained our team in its daily mission to show that doing good is good business. Since our opening on Feb. 5, 2016, you have helped us raise over $20,000 to support the Q Center’s vital work in our community. But as all good things must end, Chkchk will be serving its last chicken sandwich on Tuesday, Feb. 14. This has truly been a passion project of ours and we hope to resurrect the concept at a different location in the future.

We invite everyone to give Chkchk proper Portland send-off on Tuesday evening, from 6 to 9 p.m., during our Valentine’s Day Unicorn Ball. We’ll have all your favorite food and drink available, as well Campari heart jello shots, a DIY Valentine’s station, photo booth, music, and dancing.

Again, thanks to all. We are so proud to be a part of this vibrant, inspiring community.

Love,

The Chkchk Team

• ChkChk [Official Site]
• All Previous ChkChk Coverage [EPDX]