Franchising
Fusian founders launching chicken concept
Hunny Bee’s is the third restaurant concept for Ohio-based Paceline Restaurant Partners, which also owns the sushi concept, Fusian, and The Wizard of Za, a pizza restaurant in Clintonville.
December 8, 2021 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
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| Opening day was packed full of customers |
Dayton, Ohio, has a new chicken brand, thanks to the founders of Fusion, a four-unit sushi chain, opening Hunny Bee's Crispy Fried Fingers, Fries and Shakes Friday at the gateway of The University of Dayton.
Hunny Bee's, 1200 Brown St., is a collaboration between 22-year-old chicken finger enthusiast Joe Niehaus and Paceline Restaurant Partners, the restaurant group started by Fusian co-founders Josh Weprin and Stephan Harman, both Dayton-natives and partners Eric Rosenberg and Mike Speck. The group also owns Wizard of Za, a 1-year-old pizza shop.
"We love Crispy Fried Fingers and believe this is a great complementary brand to our other concepts," Speck told FastCasual.
The menu
Hunny's chicken tenders are brined overnight and hand-breaded with a proprietary blend of seasonings, which results in hot and crispy fingers which are made-to-order and served with choice of sauce ranging from house-made "Hive Sauce '' to "Hot Honey."
"We put our collective restaurant experiences together and worked through the spectrum of brine, breading and sauce flavors then passed through focus groups to come up with what made each of us give a thumbs up," Speck said.
Additionally, the 2,000-square-foot restaurant, which has a drive-thru, offers hot and salty crinkle-cut fries, buttery toast and milkshakes made with real ice cream ranging from classic flavors like cookies-and-cream to seasonal varieties.
"Hunny Bee's mission is to treat our community to good food and warm smiles in a clean and welcoming environment," Niehaus said. "In essence, we're here to serve food that is dang good while making our small slice of the world a lil' bit sweeter."
"Joe has been a friend of the Fusian brand since he was in high school, and we're so looking forward to helping him succeed in Dayton and beyond," said Stephan Harman of Paceline Restaurant Partners, which has a philosophy of creating opportunities for others while applying its restaurant experience to serve its communities.
Although Hunny is a single location at this time, Speck said it has the potential to be a national brand.
"The overwhelming comment we're hearing is, 'When I see the Hunny Bee's logo it makes me smile.'"
The restaurant group opened three locations in 2021, bringing its total to 13 restaurants in the state and is slated to open three more over the next 12 months. It has also nearly doubled the number of employees over the past 18 months, and expansion is in the works for all three brands.
"We're working on all things growth-related; menu evolution, off-premise opportunities and, yes, growth," Speck said. "We envision anywhere we have a Fusian, we can have a Wizard next door, and then some."
Part of that success is due to its focus on employee relations.
"We pride ourselves on developing our company from the ground up and creating opportunities for people," Weprin said. "Our Director of Operations, Carly, started rolling sushi with us when we opened on Brown Street. Eleven years later, she's our daily operation. It's examples like hers that have allowed us to grow both our reach and employment."
About Cherryh Cansler
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