Photograph by Drew Podo
Even though it opened in August, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken in downtown Atlanta held a ribbon cutting ceremony last Thursday, drawing big names like Mayor Kasim Reed and comedian George Wallace. Also in attendance was Gus’s president and founder, Wendy McCrory, who revealed that the company hopes to open four to five more locations.
“We’ve already been looking in Decatur. We’ve been looking around perimeter. We have yet to find the right location,” McCrory says. After expanding in Atlanta, she hopes to “branch out into Georgia with three to five other stores.
Business has been good, especially during conventions, according to Cecelia Payne Wright, the store’s general manager and one of the franchise partners. She added that they’ve received a warm welcome and are continuing to grow. “As more people in Atlanta know that we’re here, we’ll have more business,” she says.
The Memphis-based franchise isn’t only looking to expand into Georgia. This year the company plans to open seven more locations, including restaurants in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. After Gus’s has successfully expanded nationally, McCrory hopes to open international locations. The expansion isn’t necessarily by McCrory’s own design. Rather, people have come to her hoping to open a franchise. She believes in a thorough process for selecting potential franchisees. “I will not sell anybody a franchise unless I can go fishing with them for eight hours,” she says. Above all, McCrory’s number one priority is ensuring that the recipes can be recreated. She says, “The biggest compliment is if somebody comes into the Atlanta location and says, it’s just like Memphis.”
