Delmone Brice admits he felt some sense of imposter syndrome when he first opened Twisted Chicken about a year ago.
That feeling slowly faded as first-time customers became first-name regulars. In celebration of the community support the restaurant has seen over the last year, the first 100 people to show up when they open at 11 a.m. Wednesday will receive one of three never-before-served items for free from the food truck where it all began.
Brice and his friend Meum Mek started Twisted Chicken in 2019, serving their unique blend of Cambodian and Cajun cuisine, an homage to their roots. As the pandemic resulted in closed restaurants and social distancing, food trucks including theirs took off.
That popularity persisted, and they made the leap to open a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Faribault. They chose Faribault because of the loyal customers they’d built up over their time serving in front of 10,000 Drops Craft Distillers.
At that time, it was Brice, Mek and some friends who were helping them get into the swing of things.
Fast forward one year, they have several employees on payroll, have added chicken wings to the menu and have more on the way. They even added a patio area with QR codes that allow the customer to have their food brought out to them without needing to wait inside to order.
“The community has been very welcoming and supportive,” Brice said. “They show up and show out, and I appreciate Faribault for that. I really do. I know I catered out here so they knew me already, but honestly it was hard to believe when they came up to me and said they love my food. I believe them now.”
He said, sometimes they fall behind during rushes, but the community support doesn’t waver.
“The community has been very there for me, was patient with me when I had any hiccups, especially at the soft opening,” he said. “All my shirts sold out. This is a down-south thing people say: but they really ate us out of house and home.”
Brice isn’t afraid to repay that kind of loyalty, often giving his cell number to customers or prepping food for someone who can’t be there until after the store is closed.
Maria Gonzalez is among Twisted Chicken’s loyal regulars. She works in the Rice County Government Service Building and said many coworkers also eat there regularly.
“It’s pretty good; we like it,” Gonzalez said. “We feel like it’s more healthy. Because we usually go to McDonald’s or something. We feel like it’s better to come here versus getting all that crazy food. So we feel like it’s more healthy.”
She said she tries to stick to the bowls and wraps, especially the ones with pico de gallo, but she did like the chicken wings too.
“Plus you get your chips and a drink, and you get him (Brice) over here,” she added. “He’s always awesome. Great customer service.”
One of the things Brice likes to do with customers is let them pick the next new item for the menu. After conducting a recent poll among fans, they decided poutine would be the next food to come to Twisted Chicken’s menu.
While the menu for Wednesday’s anniversary celebration was originally going to be a secret, he shared with the Daily News the three special items they picked to serve out of the food truck: A báhn mi sandwich, shredded chicken with any choice of barbecue sauce and coleslaw on a bun or a simple hamburger.
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