Top of the Morning, Aug. 26, 2024

Grabbing a bite with Joey Wright

On Mondays, we chop it up with the folks responsible for dishing up food around the area. What restaurant should we try next? Let Joey Wright know at jwright@news-gazette.com .

The closure of KFC locations in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy left a bad taste for many locals who enjoy fried chicken.

But plenty of quality choices — fast food and otherwise — remain when it comes to the classic American dish. Nearly 300 people have responded to a recent News-Gazette Facebook post asking where they’ll turn to now, or where they’ve been going for fried chicken all along.

And a popular option was Lincoln Street Lounge in Broadlands, which serves up a popular chicken dinner every Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. in addition to its usual array of options.

“It’s just really good chicken,” head cook Matt Perry said.

“We turn around and make it fresh for them right then and there. We cook it in the fryers, and it’s just really good chicken. And the price, you can’t beat either. It’s $11.95 (for the whole meal), which you can’t beat, either.”

Lincoln Street Lounge takes pride in serving the tiny community of Broadlands from dusk to dawn; it opens at 5:30 a.m. for breakfast and is a popular early-morning stop for farmers.

Perry has worked there for 14 years. It helps that he lives four blocks from the restaurant.

“A lot of locals, a lot of local farmers all come here all the time,” Perry said. “And then off course they bring people, and that just adds more and more. Our clientele always gets more people in here all the time, which is good.”