Fried chicken chain buys Bradenton property

A national fried chicken chain has purchased land in Bradenton where it plans to build a new restaurant.

Church’s Texas Chicken bought the 1.14-acre site at 2815 First St. E. for $975,000, according to a statement from American Property Group, which handled the sale. Adam Doak of American Property Group was the sole broker in the transaction, which closed July 28.

The property on First Street was owned by Bradenton Car Wash SPE LLC, which purchased it for $835,000 in 2022, according to Manatee County property records.

“This was a rare opportunity to acquire one of the last remaining undeveloped commercial sites along 1st Street,” Doak says in a statement. The property is located between a newly built Circle K and O’Reilly Auto Parts and across from Firkins Automotive Group. With 180 feet of frontage on First Street East, the site has exposure to nearly 40,000 vehicles daily, the statement says.

“With its exceptional frontage, strong traffic counts and surrounding national retailers, the property is ideally positioned for a successful quick-service restaurant development,” Doak says. “I’m proud to have helped bring this transaction together and look forward to seeing Church’s Texas Chicken become part of this growing commercial corridor.”

Next, Church’s Texas Chicken plans to develop the site for a quick-service restaurant, the statement says. Currently, the chain has 26 locations in Florida, including in Clearwater, Lakeland, Plant City, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Church's Texas Chicken was founded in San Antonio in 1952, and later moved its headquarters to Atlanta. The brand is known for its hand-battered, double-breaded original and spicy chicken, prepared in small batches, as well as honey-butter biscuits and classic sides. The chain has been owned by California-based private investment firm High Bluff Capital Partners and Philadelphia-headquartered asset manager FS Investments since 2021.