Everything We Know About Tony Hawk's New Chick N' Hawk Restaurant
We all know Tony Hawk, aka "Birdman," for his sensational skateboard skills and slick skating tricks. But the extreme athlete is also involved in the restaurant industry as an investor in several eateries in the San Diego area including Animae, Herb & Sea, Market Del Mar, and Steel Mill Coffee (via Eater San Diego). Now, Hawk will be expanding his collection with a new restaurant located at the site of the former Fulano's Gourmet Mexican Restaurant in the Leucadia area of Encinitas (via SanDiegoVille).
The eatery, called Chick N' Hawk (as Eater mentions is in tribute to the Looney Tunes' great Foghorn Leghorn) will focus on hot chicken but also serve raw bar selections including seafood and ceviche as well as produce sourced from local farms. The 1,500-square-foot space will be fully remodeled and feature new patios and a full bar with full service dining, and, as Eater San Diego reports, a "more casual ordering system." Hawk intends to help curate the artwork and décor at Chick N' Hawk, which will highlight — what else — a surf and skateboarding theme.
Chick N' Hawk is the new spring chicken of the greater San Diego dining scene
Hawk's new restaurant is thanks to a partnership with chef Andrew Bachelier, the former chef at Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad. Bachelier, who left his role at highly-rated Jeune et Jolie during the pandemic, initially had goals of opening a hot chicken sandwich food truck based on the Nashville trend. Bachelier and Hawk toured the United States in search of the nation's best hot chicken sandwiches, obtaining crucial information that would eventually serve as fodder for Chick N' Hawk's menu (via Eater San Diego).
In August, Bachelier teased fans of the impending new spot with an Instagram photo of himself and his family standing outside the building that is now Chick N' Hawk, captioning the photo, "Well looks like we got ourselves a new restaurant..." to which Hawk commented, "LFG!!!" (aka "let's f***ing go").
It sounds like the pair is beyond excited for their new venture and, honestly, we're pretty pumped for those sure-to-be-delicious chicken sandwiches, too. SanDiegoVille reports that Chick N' Hawk will open in mid-to-late 2022.