Our founders, Joshua Simons and Steve Crawford, grew up between London and Bournemouth. Our story begins when they became friends, and realised their mutual love of southern-style BBQ, and in particular, the wonderful world of grilled chicken.
In their view, the high street offering was somewhat lacklustre, and so they began quietly planning the development of the original Chicken & Blues (then Chicken Shack), introducing the locals to the wonders of mama’s cookin’! Sensing the time was right, the Boscombe shop was secured, and after multiple road-tests to friends and family, Chicken Shack (C&B) opened its doors, and was an instant hit with the locals!
Multiple store openings ensued, as well as the C&B festival truck, which travelled far and wide. The good energy was infectious, resulting in national awards and positive press. Customers returned to the restaurants not only for the food, but for the warm southern-inspired hospitality.
Chicken & Blues continues to grow, keeping the same mission it has had from the start – to revolutionise the quick-serve high street chicken scene with a high quality BBQ offering, using only the best ingredients, sold at an affordable price, and with a smile!
March 2022
Chicken & Blues nominates MYTIME Young Carers as Charity of 2022
C&B will be contributing funds to enable a minimum of 45 children to be taken on a ‘memory making day’. C&B is delighted to announce that MYTIME Young Carers, a local charity with a mission to level the playing
February 2022
C&B announces Glen Dillon-Lee as ‘Group Head of Food’
We're delighted to announce the promotion of Glen Dillon-Lee to 'Group Head of Food'! Glen has been with us for 7 years, starting as Head Chef at C&B’s Ashley Cross restaurant and helping to grow passionate Kitchen Teams
December 2021
C&B relaunches Christmas Gift Box community project…
Chicken & Blues’ team is pleased to announce that its annual gift box initiative has returned this Christmas, working closely with Boscombe Childrens Centre in Bournemouth, in partnership with Deliveroo. With the help of generous supporters, 25 families in
April 2021
Chicken & Blues announces multi-year exclusive partnership with Deliveroo
Press release: Monday 19th April 2021 Chicken & Blues and Deliveroo have announced an expansion of their partnership and the signing of a multi-year exclusive collaboration to 2023. The national award-winning BBQ Chicken concept has worked with Deliveroo across
January 2021
C&B announces £5,000 commitment and the launch of its 2021 ‘Chicken & Blues Neighbourhood Fund’
PRESS RELEASE: Thursday 21st January 2021 Chicken & Blues, the national award-winning ‘posh chicken shop’ brand, has announced the launch of the Chicken & Blues Neighbourhood Fund, a focused community initiative set to launch in January 2021. The project
November 2020
C&B launches first ever plant-based menu!
Plant-based? Vegetarian? Flexitarian? Curious? we’re here for you… After speaking to hundreds of C&B Patrons over the past few months, our kitchen development team has been hard at work curating our first ever plant-based menu. Whether you’re a vegan,
July 2020
C&B launches the ‘Chicnic’!
Enjoy the beautiful surroundings across Bournemouth and Poole this summer with a 'Chicnic'. You can now upgrade your takeaway by purchasing a C&B 'Winner Winner Chicken Dinner' Tote Bag, Picnic Rug, and a C&B branded Bottle Opener. Alcoholic beverages
March 2020
C&B launches ‘Pay It Forward’ NHS meal voucher campaign with Elite Living
A word from Chicken & Blues HQ; Chicken & Blues has now cooked over 2,000 meals for front line workers since launching its 50% off NHS orders initiative just 12 days ago. The team has been taken back by the
Chicken & Blues to offer NHS workers 50% off during COVID-19 crisis
As we enter what is a rather testing period in our lives, C&B is offering all NHS workers 50% off orders placed through our website for collections until the end of April 2021, subject to our restaurants being
November 2019
C&B scoops ‘Best Family Restaurant UK’!
In what was a triumphant night at Shoreditch Town Hall, London, Chicken & Blues picked up the ‘Best Family Restaurant UK’ gong, up against esteemed national competition. Jasmine Hemsley, of Hemsely + Hemsley fame (Selfridges), presented the trophy on
August 2018
C&B no.3 opens in Winton!
C&B no.3 opens in Winton, Bournemouth, situated directly between Conto Lounge and Subway. This store is home to a 30-seater C&B, designed by KTM Design, which is backed by England International Tyrone Mings.
November 2017
C&B wins national award!
Chicken & Blues was crowned ‘Best Takeaway in the South East of England’, with a notable ‘highly commended’ mention in the overall ‘Best Takeaway in Britain’ at The British Takeaway Awards 2017! The ceremony was held at London’s beautiful
July 2015
No.2 arrives in Ashley Cross, Poole!
Shop no.2 opens its doors! This time, we head to the trendy neighbourhood of Ashley Cross in Poole, with a 50 cover restaurant and takeaway. The locals are very kind, and we manage to build a fabulous community of
January 2015
Enter the Dragon!
January 2015 Another award! This time, Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis presents us with his business certification in a ceremony in Birmingham. Theo remarked that he was impressed by our journey so far, and offered us some awesome advice
July 2014
Welcome Chicken & Blues
We decide, after many licensing enquiries, to trademark our brand. We visit a lawyer in the city of London, and he informs us that we’ll need to change our name. We rack our brains. ‘We serve chicken, we play
March 2014
Top 5 in the UK!
After just 6 months, we were featured in The Metro Newspaper London as one of the top 5 chicken shops in the UK. Everyone blushed, and then got back to work on the grill – the shop got busier
September 2013
First shop opens…
We took the plunge and opened our first shop on Boscombe high street in Bournemouth, then known as Chicken Shack. We made some noise. Lines formed at the door - mama’s cookin’ had arrived! We ran out of chicken
January 2013
An idea…
Over a few drinks on a rainy night in a far flung bar, a bunch of us realised our mutual love of BBQ chicken. We decided to embark on an emotional and exciting journey, researching southern American cooking styles,