Sadness as popular Rochester chicken shop to close after four years

A vibrant fried chicken shop in Rochester High Street has announced that it will be closing later this year as pressures continue to mount on the hospitality industry. Cheeky Clucker, recognisable thanks to its eye-catching yellow exterior, opened in the historic town back in October 2020.

Launching at 186a High Street just before the second national lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the business was forced to begin its life as a delivery-only service. Jump ahead to 2024, and Cheeky Clucker has grown a strong reputation among Medway's dine-in restaurants and even expanded to include an adults-only cocktail bar in the tunnels beneath the building, which became a hit venue for parties and celebrations.

However, co-owner Scott Rozario took to Facebook and Instagram on Saturday, November 2 to confirm that the establishment will be closing its doors for good later this winter. In a public video on the social media pages, Scott said: “After a lot of careful thought and some tough decision making, both myself and Danny have decided to close our Rochester restaurant location at the end of this year.

READ MORE:Historic Kent monument returned to 'rightful place' after 63 years

READ MORE:Estate of hundreds of homes in Canterbury gets first shop after years

“This building historically has always been a really tough building to make work as a full-service restaurant, and for us personally to make this work financially, we have to rely on running events, parties, club nights etc, in our basement, which has kind of been distracting us from our original mission which is to bring you fresh, quality fried chicken. The recent budget as well hasn’t really provided any sort of relief for hospitality, particularly large service restaurants like ourselves, and we actually believe it’s only going to get harder and harder for businesses like ours to operate and survive in the current climate.

“So, we’re calling it now, and we’re pivoting as we always do. We are going to focus our full attention on areas of the business that are performing well.” Cheeky Clucker will be holding its last service in the Rochester restaurant on Sunday, December 29.

While it will mark the end of the line for this fried chicken shop, Scott promised: “It’s definitely not the end of Cheeky Clucker.” The business recently established a delivery kitchen in Maidstone, which is one of the successful areas of the business Scott and Danny plan to devote their attention to.

Cheeky Clucker will continue to attend festivals and events, while Scott noted there are two potential locations for openings in Medway that will help the brand expand its delivery operation. In true Cheeky Clucker fashion, the restaurant will be hosting a farewell party ahead of the closure for ‘one last cluck’, further details of which are to be announced nearer the time.

Scott went on to say: “I just want to say as well personally, thank you to everybody who helped us get to where we are today. We boldly took this building on a week before the second lockdown, and against all the odds, we’ve made it work for four years, but we’ve got to make this decision now while we can really.”

The news has been met with an outpour of sympathy and support from the community and patrons. One commenter said: “Gutting but you’ve obviously thought long and hard and decided it’s for the best! Good luck, boys, you’ve smashed it! Think how far you’ve come since setting up you should be very proud.”

Another commented: “Sorry to see you close the restaurant. Will definitely keep ordering in whatever way we can. Good luck to everyone.” Further information about the Rochester restaurant and information on how to book a table before the closure can be found on the Cheeky Clucker website here.

Get more news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE.