Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy drive-thru breaks ground on first Northern California location in Napa County

A Santa Rosa-based hospitality group has broken ground on the first Guy Fieri-backed Chicken Guy drive-thru restaurant in Northern California.

And they’ve planned an ambitious 90-day goal to complete construction.

Chandi Hospitality Group holds an exclusive agreement to develop, own and operate Chicken Guy sites in nine Northern California counties, plus Sacramento and parts of San Francisco, since 2019. But, like most things, it was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, it was momentous when the Chandi family gathered March 8 to mark the start of construction in American Canyon.

“We know this territory well because of our various Mountain Mike’s Pizza restaurants and are engaged in the community in all-levels,” said Bhupinder “Sonu” Singh Chandi, the group’s founder and president.

Chicken Guy is a franchise restaurant created by Sonoma County celebrity chef Fieri and renowned restaurateur Robert Earl, CEO of Planet Hollywood.

The restaurant offers unique, all-natural chicken tenders, marinated in a blend of fresh lemon juice, pickle brine, buttermilk, and herbs, boasting exceptional flavor and texture.

Healthier alternatives, such as grilled chicken or a salad, are also available — but the franchise’s secret sauce is literally the large variety of sauces crafted by Fieri that complements the tenders and sides.

There is a Chicken Guy at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, but it does not have a full kitchen nor a drive-thru, so isn't considered a full restaurant. The new location will be at 200 American Canyon Road.

Chandi Hospitality Group got its start when at age 16, Chandi hustled on a kitchen line during bustling Friday night dinners. Three years later, the Chandi brothers — Sonu and Jatinder “Joti” Chandi — helped their father, Gurcharan Chandi, launch his own restaurant, Saroor Indian Cuisine, in the Bay Area.

Saroor was their training ground, where they honed their skills in lease negotiations, vendor management, team building and cultivating the enthusiasm that solidified their ambition to establish a hospitality empire of their own.

In 2007, Chandi Hospitality Group embarked on its journey into the restaurant industry by acquiring their inaugural eatery, a Mountain Mike’s Pizza, nestled in Rohnert Park.

While balancing their college education, they dove headfirst into the realm of franchising, grappling with the intricacies of scheduling, management and all facets of franchise ownership. Over time, they ascended to become the North Bay Mountain Mike’s development agent.

Today, the group owns seven and oversees an additional 10 Mountain Mike’s Pizzas, along with several other businesses in Santa Rosa, Sonu Chandi said.

But “we’ve always focused our business on real-estate development behind the scenes,” he added.

In addition to the familiarity with the territory and successful franchising of other restaurants, he believes Chandi Hospitality Group was chosen as a partner for Chicken Guy because of its background in development.

Chandi Hospitality Group started looking into the Chicken Guy concept in late 2019. “Things picked back up in late 2021 when the American Canyon site was brought to our attention by our broker as something that was ready to go,” Chandi said.

They ultimately found out the site had lost its entitlement because the property sat too long without proceeding with a submission for building plans.

This led to an 18-month setback.

“We are trying to make up time and get our first site, the first Chicken Guy drive-through in Northern California, construction will be completed in 90 days, which is a very ambitious goal. We are working with several subcontractors to be able to achieve that,” Chandi said.

The “aggressive” timeline could see Chicken Guy open as early as July.

They plan to develop a minimum of 10 other locations throughout various North Bay counties in the next five years.

Chandi attributes their initial interest in the Chicken Guy to the growth of Fieri’s brand.

“He’s become a big national celebrity, but he does a lot of local work,” Chandi said. “We wanted to partner with someone who has experience with multiple concepts, which Planet Hollywood does.”