Chéye Roberson
Sentinel Correspondent
The next time you feel a craving for a carefully seasoned fried cone with a crispy coating that crunches before melting in your mouth, you may not have to travel to Chicken Joe’s main location in Cos Cob.
With the addition of Chicken Joe’s On the Go, a food truck that hosts a list of customer favorites on its menu, the landmark Greenwich restaurant debuted a new way to enjoy its flavorful goodies.
The food truck had its first day out on Thursday, Sept. 1, stationed in the parking lot at Horseneck Lane across from the Boys and Girls Club.
“I thought it was an excellent day. The people were very happy that the truck was there,” said Joe Marini, the owner of Chicken Joe’s. “It was great for them to come by and see what we have.”
The idea for adding a mobile component to Chicken Joe’s began 10 years ago with a conversation between Marini and Joe Federici, a loyal customer. Marini and Federici have been in the food industry for over 25 years.
Federici has recently returned to Connecticut after setting up a successful restaurant and food truck of his own in Atlanta, Ga.
“I’m a front of the house type of guy,” said Federici. “I’m able to coordinate with my people and make sure they get what they want and don’t over order or make sure that they are educated on the product.”
The whole idea was to take the specials that customers have enjoyed at Chicken Joe’s for years, like the Baby Special, High School Special and College Wrap, and making it mobile.
“If we did it traditionally, we would have to bring everything in a catering truck. Now we can bring the truck up to the door, hot and ready to eat. It’s easy access as opposed to schlepping everything on a catering truck, setting up and breaking down,” said Federici. “If you’re having an event, party, or school function, the truck is available and you can get your favorite Chicken Joe’s on the food truck.”
Federici said the Baby Special and the High School Special are the most popular meals on the menu, with the High School special being his personal favorite.
“I like the High School Special with chili and cheese. I like the crunchiness of the chicken and the chili has a nice little kick to it. If I’m really feeling hungry, I’ll have a side of Mac Bites,” said Federici.
Although Chicken Joe’s On the Go premiered on Horseneck Lane, it will not always be in that spot. Marini and Federici were looking into finding a location for Chicken Joe’s On the Go with an ideal mix of foot and motor traffic—and have found it at 290 Greenwich Ave., roughly across the street from Starbucks.
Chicken Joe’s On the Go will also attend events all over the Greenwich area and Westchester County throughout the year, including Adopt-a-Dog’s Puttin’ On the Dog at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park on Sept. 18.
For a list of upcoming events follow Chicken Joe’s On the Go on social media and visit their website at chickenjoesonthego.com.
