Here Comes Gus's Fried Chicken

North Texas city makes short list for coveted spicy fried chicken

Fort Worth is one of eight cities to get its own branch of Gus’s Fried Chicken.

Photo courtesy of Gus's

Famed spicy-chicken specialist Gus's Fried Chicken is swooping in on Dallas-Fort Worth. The Memphis chain will open its first location in Fort Worth's Near Southside neighborhood, at 1067 W. Magnolia Ave. Opening date is set for early spring 2016.

The 3,720-square-foot space, previously a campaign headquarters for Fort Worth representative Lon Burnam, will seat about 100 people and feature a casual, family-friendly atmosphere with some of Gus's trademarks, including its signature yellow-and-white exterior awnings.

This location will be the second in Texas; Gus's opened in Austin in early 2014.

"We chose to open in Fort Worth on Magnolia because the area has grown a lot in recent years but isn't overdeveloped," says franchisee Daniel Bryant in a release. "It's a great fit for Gus's because we like to think of ourselves as the 'un-chain.'"

In addition to chicken known for its crunchy bronze crust, the menu also features sides such as potato salad and coleslaw, and house-made pies. It'll stay open later on weekend evenings, as befits the neighborhood's nightlife.

Gus's Fried Chicken was founded in 1953 by the Bonner family in Mason, Tennessee, and they still run that original location. A new owner came aboard in February with plans to open eight branches across the country, including Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Knoxville, Kansas City, Kansas, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The franchisees were selected with care, from a pool of more than 500 applicants.

Another new fried chicken concept called Chicago's Chicken Coop was previously announced to open in North Dallas; a company representative says they're aiming for the beginning of November.

openings

Pasta News

Acclaimed team opens Tutto Gustoso Italian at Watters Creek in Allen

Tutto Gustoso

A new Italian restaurant with a high-powered culinary team has opened in Allen at Watters Creek Village: Called Tutto Gustoso Italian Restaurant, it's a contemporary Italian spot located at 842 Watters Creek Blvd., in the former Cru Wine bar space which closed in mid-2025 after 16 years.

Tutto Gustoso is from General Manager Leo Gravina, a native of Italy who is well known to Allen diners via Numero 28, the Italian restaurant he oversees at The Village at Allen; and executive chef Enrico Glaudo, a global culinarian, also from Italy, who previously helped open Ocean Ranch, an Italian restaurant on Greenville Avenue which has since closed.

Credentials
The famously charming Gravina previously worked for the Bice Group, the acclaimed Italian restaurant company founded in Milan in 1926, and was part of a team of Italians who opened a location of Bice in Uptown Dallas in 2006. He's since worked for hotel groups including Hilton and the Gaylord, and served as director of operations for the Lombardi Group for five years.

Glaudo started his career in the kitchen at age 14, and is well known in southern California's cosmopolitan Italian restaurant scene, having earned acclaim as a chef at restaurants such as Primi where his authentic Italian cooking dazzled critics. He first came to Texas nearly a decade ago by way of Houston, where he served as executive chef of Hotel Granduca Houston.

“Our goal is simple,” said Gravina, “to make our guests feel like they’ve stepped into a trattoria in Italy, where every ingredient is fresh, every pasta is handmade, and every meal is shared with joy.”

Menu
The menu at Tutto Gustoso celebrates Italy’s regional diversity, featuring handmade pastas, fresh seafood, Italian meats, and artisanal breads prepared daily.

Highlights are as follows:

Antipasti: Focaccia and dips featuring olive tapenade and spicy whipped ricotta, or Burrata Caprese — burrata mozzarella with basil oil and balsamic pearls. Polpette al Sugo (beef meatballs in marinara); Olive Ascolane (stuffed fried olives), and Fritto Misto with crispy calamari, zucchini and oyster mushrooms.

Pasta: Tagliatelle Bolognese with beef sauce, Ravioli Pere e Ricotta pear and ricotta-stuffed ravioli in a creamy walnut sauce, and Spaghetti Chitarra alle Vongole Rosse with Italian clams and Calabrian chili.

Risotto: Barbabietole Pistachio e Gamberi (roasted beet risotto with shrimp and Sicilian pistachio) or Porcini e Mirtilli (porcini mushrooms and blueberries).

Secondi: Main courses include Brasato al Barolo—tender short ribs braised in Barolo wine; Tagliata di Manzo, a 14-oz grilled New York steak with Tuscan beans and balsamic arugula salad; Salmone alla Senape Dolce; Filetto di Branzino; Pollo alla Milanese.

Pinsa & Piadine: By day, Tutto Gustoso serves light piadine—Italian flatbread sandwiches with gourmet fillings such as Parma (prosciutto, goat cheese, and candied figs) and Mortadella (burrata and pistachio pesto). At dinner, Roman-style Pinsa flatbreads take center stage — crispy, airy, and topped with Calabrese (spicy salami, San Marzano tomato, honey drizzle) or Modenese (prosciutto di Parma and stracciatella cheese).

Designed for both casual lunches and refined dinners, Tutto Gustoso offers a warm, contemporary setting with Italian charm, perfect for date nights, family gatherings and weekend aperitivos on the patio.