Harold’s Chicken Comes to Milwaukee
Illinois-based chicken chain with nearly 50 locations in U.S. coming to northwest side.
5401 N. Lovers Lane Rd. Photo taken April 11, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
Illinois-based Harold’s Chicken plans to enter the Milwaukee market with a location at 5401 N. Lovers Lane Rd.
The northwest side restaurant would be the 47th for Harold’s and the only Wisconsin store. Franchisees have previously attempted expansions in the state, though none have lasted.
Saif Abughoush hopes his venture will be different. The entrepreneur, along with business partner Raed Almastri, has worked with Harold’s for six years.
“We’ve bought a lot of the locations in Chicago, then asked to take it to Milwaukee, and they accepted,” Abughoush told Urban Milwaukee. “This is going to be the first store in a new generation of Harold’s.”
Black entrepreneur Harold Pierce launched the original Harold’s in Chicago in 1950. The business has since expanded with restaurants across nine states and is owned by Pierce’s daughter, Kristen.
Like other Harold’s locations, the proposed fast-food restaurant would serve breaded, fried chicken — including wings, legs and thighs — available a la carte or as combo dinners with catfish or perch, plus fries and bread. An online menu also features family-sized chicken buckets, livers and gizzards, tenders, nuggets and fish dinners. Side options could include coleslaw, fried mushrooms, okra, pizza puffs and jalapeno poppers.
Abughoush said Milwaukee diners can expect “the exact same menu and recipes” as existing Harold’s restaurants. “We’re going to keep the seasoning in all the sauces — especially the mild sauce — the same as in Chicago.”
Harold’s Chicken would occupy 1,335 square feet in a building shared with Lover’s Lane Petro Mart. Recent tenants include the short-lived Wings Co. and La Oaxaqueña, a Mexican restaurant. The building, which features on-site parking, is situated immediately east of Interstate 41.
A license application for Harold’s Chicken is pending approval from the Milwaukee Common Council. If all goes well, Abughoush said the restaurant aims to open in May. Its proposed hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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