Acclaimed Chef William Dissen announced plans to expand his quick-serve, farm-to-table restaurant brand Billy D’s Fried Chicken to include a location at Elon University in Elon, N.C, already opening doors to students on Oct. 10th. Plans to open a third location at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem are also underway. The first Billy D’s Fried Chicken is located in the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro and opened in 2018.
The two new locations will service more than 16,000 students and staff, selling made-to-order, farm-fresh meals with ingredients sourced exclusively from sustainably-operated, organic farms in North Carolina.
“Since opening our first location, we’ve seen an incredible response to the brand and our quick-serve take on southern fried chicken. Guests at the North Carolina Zoo consistently remarked how great-tasting the sandwiches, southern fixings and barbecue sauces are. It’s what caught the attention of Harvest Table Culinary Group, the organization that helped create this partnership with such distinguished universities as Elon University and Wake Forest,” says Dissen.
The menu features “hot n’ crispy, raised right” southern fried chicken, chicken sandwiches and sides, such as watermelon salad, macaroni and cheese, waffle fries and coleslaw.
“When Elon Dining shared the growing sentiment from students to have healthy, sustainably-operated restaurant options, and that our values lined up with theirs, I was honored,” explains Dissen. “My passion for the culinary arts is rooted in highlighting Appalachian food and small farms that are doing right by our climate and agricultural communities. Myself and our restaurant teams do our utmost to prepare and present fresh food daily in a creative manner, with a craftsman’s hand.”
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 the student’s response and restaurant performance at Elon and Wake Forest, Dissen will partner with more universities to further expand the brand.
