LE MARS, Iowa — Chix Chicken & Waffles, a Le Mars-based food truck, is preparing to move into a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Tracy Brent, who owns the food truck with husband Monte, said the Chix Chicken & Waffles restaurant is expected to open at 35 Central Ave. NW, a block from the Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor, on the first Wednesday in June, though there may be a soft opening before then.
Renovations have been underway for months at the property, which is owned by Mike and Cheryl Wells, former owners of Wells Enterprises who have taken on a major role in Le Mars' cultural life since selling the ice cream manufacturer.
"Honestly, they're part of the project, and we really couldn't have done it without them," Tracy Brent said.
"We had checked several different locations out, and they all kind of didn't come to fruition, and we talked to some people, and people talked to people, and this one came available," Monte Brent added.
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Monte and Tracy Brent are co-owners of the new Chix Chicken & Waffles restaurant in Le Mars, Iowa, on Wednesday.
Tracy Brent, right, and Monte Brent, left talk with Brent McKennon in the new arcade at their restaurant Chix Chicken & Waffles in Le Mars…
Workers this week were putting some finishing touches on the building's interior.
As is often the case with renovations, things progressed more slowly this year than the couple had originally planned.
"It's been a little off-track," Tracy Brent said. "But, you know, I'm a firm believer that everything happens when it's meant to happen, and it really has."
The restaurant will take up two floors in the building -- the main floor will have seating for 95 patrons and the lower floor will have seating for another 65. The restaurant will also have an arcade in the downstairs, with 25 to 30 games, Tracy Brent said.
"We want this to be a family-fun restaurant," she said.
The couple has operated the food truck, one of very few places in Siouxland that offers chicken and waffles, for the past three years. Their food truck idea came about during the COVID-19 pandemic as a sort of backup or supplemental revenue stream.
"I've always wanted to do a restaurant, I've always loved the idea of chicken tenders that are fresh," Tracy Brent said.
"We came up with, 'Let's just do the southern thing, and go with chicken and waffles,'" she added. "So, that's really how it came about."
Co-owner Tracy Tracy Brent speaks with Ryan LaBahn, Vaughn Bagstad, and Isaac Tolzin, right, about building plans as they get ready to open Ch…
Progress is being made as workers get ready to open Chix Chicken & Waffles restaurant in Le Mars, Iowa, Wednesday.
The truck offers chicken tenders with French fries and waffle triangles, along with wraps and sandwiches and various fried sides and desserts.
The menu offerings for the restaurant are still being ironed out; there's a world of possibilities for new and different menu items, Tracy Brent said, since they'll have more room in the building. The best-loved items from the food truck will, of course, be there.
"We'll have a lot of the same things," she said.
Chix Chicken & Waffles has since made stops as far from home as Sioux Center, Vermillion, S.D., Sioux City and the outskirts of Sioux Falls; the food truck has been warmly received, Tracy Brent said, which encouraged them to make the jump into a brick-and-mortar space. A number of patrons on social media have left glowing reviews of the food.
"Genuinely the best food I’ve ever had!" one reviewer on Facebook wrote in June 2022.
"The chicken and waffles are amazing, fresh, and great quality! I love all the sauces!" another reviewer wrote a month before that.
Vaughn Bagstad makes measurements to cut wood as they get ready to open Chix Chicken & Waffles in Le Mars, Iowa, on Wednesday.
Vaughn Bagstad operates a miter saw as Isaac Tolzin, right, picks out pieces of lumber to use in the prepare to open Chix Chicken and Waffles …
Co-owner Tracy Brent, left, and Vaughn Bagstad talk as Ryan LaBahn takes measurements from a ladder at the newly built Chix Chicken and Waffle…
Tracy Brent said the public's positive response has brought her great joy: "I love the feeling when someone enjoys something that I've spent so much time creating."
They food truck will still be kept in service, Tracy Brent said, even after the restaurant opens.
"We'll still have it out for events," she said.
The work to open Chix Chicken & Waffles is nearing completion.
Vaughn Bagstad, left, and Isaac Tolzin install decorative wood paneling on the walls at the new Chix Chicken and Waffles restaurant in Le Mars…
Monte and Tracy Brent are co-owners of the new Chix Chicken and Waffles restaurant in Le Mars, Iowa, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.