Owner says Cho Cho Chicken part of his American dream

Dorr Street has another independent restaurant since Cho Cho Chicken opened its doors last week.

The restaurant, named after the sound a train makes, specializes in chicken, fish, and salads.

“I have a friend who has a huge train model set up in his basement,” said owner Mohammed Awad. “I just liked the sound it made. I did not want to make it obvious with ‘Choo Choo’ so I used Cho Cho. I just wanted a different name so it stands out.”

Mr. Awad came from Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the West Bank, in 2017 to help family members with their business in Michigan.

“I came to help my family run their restaurant,” Mr. Awad said. “I also came because of the American dream. I can go anywhere I want to in this country. I am so happy here.”

He worked at his family’s restaurant Bab El Salam in Portage, Mich.

“After working seven years, I decided to open my own restaurant,” Mr. Awad said. “Although the business area in Michigan was good, a friend told me Toledo was the place to open a restaurant.”

His recent experience as a chef involved Middle Eastern food, but Mr. Awad said he fell in love with American food since moving to the states.

“I have family and friends who took me to many American-style restaurants, and the food was so good,” he said. “I decided that I wanted to make American food with a Middle Eastern twist. I also wanted it to be quick serve as well since people seem to like that.”

Cho Cho serves a special recipe fried and grilled chicken, chicken tenders, whole and boneless wings — naked or breaded, sandwiches, appetizers, fried catfish, and cod.

“I marinate the chicken from six to 12 hours so the flavor goes all through the meat,” Mr. Awad said. “The recipe is a blend of American and Middle Eastern spices, so it does not taste like other chicken out there. The flavor is very good and unique.”

Sauces for the wings include hot, mild, barbecue, lemon pepper, and Carolina Gold.

Sides run the gamut from coleslaw, french fries, and mac and cheese, to mashed potatoes and corn bread. Salads, with or without chicken, are also available as well as fried mushrooms, fried okra, and jalapeno poppers.

Cho Cho also has sandwich combos including hamburger, cheeseburger, grilled chicken, crispy chicken, or spicy chicken. The combos include fries and a canned drink.

The food can be ordered at the restaurant or through Grubhub, Doordash, and Uber Eats. Anyway you order, the food will be fresh.

“I do not cook the chicken or sandwiches until it is ordered,” Mr. Awad said.”We do not reheat food for orders. It is very important to me to make sure the customer enjoys their food. I like to take care of people, and I want the food and service to be the best.”

Janice Smith ran into the restaurant to pick up her order.

“This is the third time I have been here in a week,” Ms. Smith said. “I work close by and the food is really very good. The chicken is moist and crispy and has a lot of flavor. My coworker loves the salad with grilled chicken. I am sure I will keep running in here regularly.”

Cho Cho is open from 2 p.m. until 3 a.m. seven days a week. Mr. Awad said he loves his job. “I love to work and I love to cook for people,” he said. “If I wasn’t here I would be cooking for friends at my place. If you love what you do, you will be successful.”

Cho Cho Chicken is located at 5833 Dorr St., in space formerly filled by Hibachi Legend. For more information, search Cho Cho Chicken on Facebook or call 567-315-8313.