Chicken George has confirmed it is aiming to return to its Luton roots after feeding hungry revellers during Radio 1’s Big Weekend at Stockwood Park.
The purveyors of ‘fried gold’ made their name in the town, when George Cheah first opened a shop in 1985. A local legend became an national one when his son Chris Cheah, a chef that had worked in Michelin-starred restaurants, took over the business in 2015.
The following year, Chicken George was crowned the Best Takeaway in Britain, which is just one of the awards for Cheah’s recipes that include mango Rubicon chicken wings.
However, after expanding to larger premises in Hitchin and Bedford, Chicken George announced in 2022 that it would be leaving its original home in Round Green where the takeaway spot still sits empty, because it was too small to be viable.
Chris Cheah said at the time that the decision was “hugely difficult”, adding that it was down to: “a huge increase in costs right across the whole business, with energy price rises, suppliers price rises and increases in food costs, soaring business rates and fuel price rises.”
But after returning, albeit temporarily for the Big Weekend music festival, where Chicken George fed pop stars like AJ Tracey, Mr Cheah confirmed that he’s looking at options to return to the town.
He told BBC Three Counties: “Luton, you know, is on the up now. Things like this coming here, it’s great for the town, the football club and all the development that’s going on.
“And, yeah, we’re looking, we’re hopefully looking for a bigger shop down here, like a sports bar, and come back to Luton and get involved. It’s on the up.”
