The Crack Shack — known for its fried chicken and saucy sandwiches — will be closing all of its Utah locations and transitioning to a new concept, according to a representative for private equity firm Savory Restaurant Fund.
Without going into a lot of detail, the representative said, “Savory has 10 diverse and amazing brands in its portfolio, and from time to time, Savory comes to the determination that the real estate is better suited for other concepts.” The Crack Shack didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
All of Utah’s Crack Shack locations will be transformed into Houston TX Hot Chicken, a fast-casual hot chicken brand out of Las Vegas, the representative said. Savory Fund announced Nov. 1 that it had recently invested in the company, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
The Crack Shack locations in Salt Lake City’s 9th and 9th neighborhood, Riverton, Lehi, Murray and St. George will close and change to the new brand. The Crack Shack restaurants in California and Las Vegas will remain open.
Houston TX Hot Chicken’s menu features hot chicken sandwiches, tenders, loaded fries, milkshakes and beer.
Some of the other Savory Fund brands that Utahns will recognize include Mo’Bettahs, Swig and R&R Barbeque.
Houston TX Hot Chicken already has one location in Utah, in Lehi. No word yet on whether the other new Utah locations will keep the giant rooster out front.
Kolbie Peterson reports on food, drink and small business for The Salt Lake Tribune and also writes the Utah Eats newsletter. She previously covered breaking news, crime and public safety as part of The Tribune's enterprise team. She received her bachelor's degree at Westminster University, back when it was Westminster College. She has five cats.