The Treasured Fast Food Fried Chicken Chain Only 2 States Are Lucky Enough To Have

Americans adore fried chicken. In fact, Statista reveals that over 175 million people in the U.S. ate frozen fried chicken in 2019. Of course, this number doesn't include takeout fried chicken, which itself generates billions of dollars in sales every year. No matter where you live, you probably have access to some kind of fast food fried chicken, whether that's KFC, Popeye's (the fried chicken place Anthony Bourdain loved), Raising Cane's, or Chick-fil-A. But, unless you live in Alabama or a few areas of Florida, you just aren't lucky enough to have Foosackly's nearby.

Locals simply call the restaurant "The Foo" and swear that it's the greatest fast food fried chicken of them all. The menu is refreshingly simple and anchored by hot, crispy battered chicken fingers, which can be ordered by themselves or in a box with slaw, fries, toast, and dipping sauce on sandwiches or on a salad. The chicken is fresh and never frozen, and everything on the menu is made in-house, including the dipping sauces and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Fans also rave about the company's reasonable prices, which definitely makes the chain a hit with college students. Of course, it was two collegians who first created Foosackly's in the first place.

If you think "Foosackly's" is a mouthful to say, it was this exact concept that birthed the name. Co-founder Will Fusaiotti earned the nickname "foo sack" in high school when his friends couldn't pronounce his last name. When he and fellow LSU student Eric Brechtel opened their first fried chicken joint in Mobile, Alabama, in 2000, they settled on the unusual moniker. Over the next couple of decades, the restaurant became so popular that the duo opened several more locations. Today, there are 18 Foosackly's restaurants scattered mostly across mid- and southern Alabama and just across the Florida border in the Pensacola area.

Fusaiotti and Brechtel told AL.com that the restaurant made roughly $600 on its very first day of business back in 2000; as of early 2026, they employed about 1,000 people. Although they knew next to nothing about fried chicken or even running a business when they began, they believe that excellent food and top-notch customer service set their venture apart. 

Today, Foosackly's is hoping to expand in Florida and Mississippi, keeping this beloved chain a Southern staple. Whether it will grow into more states is unknown, but it doesn't appear that Fusaiotti and Brechtel are in a frenzied rush to expand. Like drinking a cold iced tea on the porch during a long, humid Alabama day, Foosackly's looks like it's taking its sweet time.