Lenox Square mall management has heard your pleas and is finally addressing their biggest issue: an alarming lack of chicken joints! On the heels of the recent closure of Ponko Chicken comes news that Kelly's Cajun Grill is opening in its place!
Kelly's is likely most well known for their "World Famous" Bourbon Chicken, but also offers Blackened Chicken, Blackened Fish, Shrimp Etouffee, Cajun Spicy Chicken, and a variety of side dishes.
The first Kelly's Cajun Grill opened at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, Florida in 1991. Today, the chain has grown through franchising to include more than 30 locations across the country, with a second location "coming soon" to Sawgrass Mills, according to the restaurant's website. Kelly's, owned by IRMG - International Restaurant Management Group, also franchises other brands such as Firehouse Subs, Burger King and Popeyes. (IRMG is the owner of the Popeyes in Lenox Square which opened in 2022.)
Sawgrass, like Lenox Square, is owned by Simon Property Group, a firm that currently hosts more than a third of the existing Kelly's locations in its centers and malls.
The Lenox Square Kelly's will be the only location in the state but not the first, as a location previously closed at North Point Mall in Alpharetta.
In joining the food court lineup at Lenox Square, Kelly's fills a void in chicken options where someone would have had to go to Sarku Japan, Wok Dragon, Farmer's Basket, Shake Shack, Chick-fil-A, GW Gyro & Wings, Chipotle, or Popeyes had they wanted a chicken dish in the past.
Kelly's is not yet listed on the Lenox Square website. Since parting ways with their longtime PR firm more than three years ago, Lenox Square's new firm, Atlanta-based Cookerly PR, and mall management themselves, have been far less communicative, so it's unclear when the restaurant may open, but an opening during the first half of 2025 seems likely.
Are you excited for this awesome addition to the compelling food court roster at Lenox Square? What is your favorite place for chicken at Lenox Square? What chicken chain would you most like to see open in Lenox Square?
Please share your thoughts below.