Acclaimed Chef William Dissen announced the official opening of his quick-serve, farm-to-table restaurant brand Billy D’s Fried Chicken at Wake Forest University (WFU) in Winston Salem. The famous fried chicken eatery is Dissen’s third location in North Carolina.

Billy D’s Fried Chicken at WFU is situated in Hearn Plaza’s Poteat Hall, a popular social space for students and the epicenter of campus.

“Wake Forest students value good food that comes from real farms and Billy D’s delivers on just that. We started with a pop up last year at one of the school’s main food halls and sold more than 2,500 fried chicken sandwiches in one day. The dining hall food operator told me it was the most they’ve ever seen sold of one item in the dining hall’s history! It made perfect sense to explore opening a location there with our partners at Aramark and Harvest Table Culinary Group,” explains Dissen.

The campus menu features “hot n’ crispy, raised right” southern fried chicken, chicken sandwiches and sides, such as macaroni and cheese, waffle fries, coleslaw and the quick-serve restaurant’s signature sauce bar.

“Wake Forest has a demonstrated commitment to sustainability, which is at the heart of everything I do at my restaurants. For example, the university has a complete working farm, full-circle sustainability education, and classes on climate change and sustainable systems. We’re excited to open doors to these exceptionally bright young minds,” says Dissen.

Founder and executive chef of two award-winning, upscale farm-to-table classic restaurants, The Market Place in Asheville, N.C. and Haymaker in Charlotte, N.C., Billy D’s Fried Chicken was inspired by William’s mission to bring farm-to-table meals to mainstream customers in faster formats.

Based on student response and restaurant performance at Elon University and Wake Forest University, Dissen aims to partner with more universities to expand the quick-serve restaurant brand.