By Debbie Adams
HCK Hot Chicken, a growing fast-casual restaurant brand known for its fiery Nashville-style
cuisine and distinctive original sauces, has opened its first location in the Roanoke area at 2499
East Washington Avenue in Vinton. Founder and CEO Mike Sarago, franchisee Mohammad Al
Khalili, and co-founder and Chef Freddy Gilmore celebrated the grand opening with a ribbon-
cutting on July 20. A huge crowd turned out to welcome them.
opening in Vinton on July 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Franchisee Mohammad Al Khalili
cuts the ribbon; Chef Gilmore wears the apron. (photos by Debbie Adams)
The three say they chose Vinton because of its “community spirit and family-friendly
atmosphere.” The restaurant is also in a good location, near William Byrd High School, the
greenway, and on the way to or from Smith Mountain Lake and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The restaurant is located inside a long-standing convenience store, “Vinton Tobacco & Grocery,”
which has undergone extensive renovations by Khalili in the past six months and now occupies
1,500 square feet. There is plenty of parking, a drive-thru lane for ordering, and a gas station in
that one location.
Essa Alsmawi is the manager; Dave Baer, the operations director. The store currently has 11
employees.
operations director Dave Baer (left) with manager Essa Alsmawi
Grand openings usually involve food, and this one was no exception. The first 24 people in line
received a free sandwich; everyone else had the opportunity to enjoy a chicken sandwich for just
$5 all day. There was a prize wheel at the counter for customers to spin and win free food on
their next visit, and even the chance to sign up to win free sandwiches for a year.
HCK Hot Chicken offers dine-in, drive-thru, and delivery through GrubHub, Uber Eats, and
DoorDash. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.
to 9 p.m.
Mike Sarago and his son Anthony, along with Chef Gilmore, founded the first HCK Hot Chicken
restaurant in 2020 in Woodbridge, Va., during the pandemic. Their idea was to bring Nashville-
style food to the East Coast. Starting a franchise was not on their radar at the time. However,
Sarago says HCK Hot Chicken has been “full speed ahead” since its inception. So, in 2022, they
decided to launch a nationwide franchising program.
Now there are HCK Hot Chicken restaurants in Virginia in Woodbridge, Stafford, Spotsylvania,
Herndon, and Vinton. Additional establishments are located in Sarasota, Fla., Fort Worth, Texas,
Buffalo, N.Y., Greenville, S.C., Waldorf, Md., and West Caldwell, N.J. Their dream is to expand
into every state, and locally into Roanoke and Salem.
Their menu features Nashville-style chicken sandwiches (which Gilmore describes as
“succulent”), classic and boneless chicken wings (“big wings, not “parakeet wings,” he says),
chicken tenders, chicken and Belgian waffles, loaded fries, loaded mac and cheese, coleslaw,
fried pickles, fried donut drops, and more.
You can choose your spice/heat level– country style (no heat), Base (cayenne), After Burner
(habanero), Angry Hot (Trinidad Scorpion), or Medic (Carolina Reaper– the hottest pepper).
Sauces can be served on the side for the less adventurous. You can buy a bottle of your favorite
sauce to take home. There are more sauce choices for the wings.
All of their dishes are gluten and allergen free. There is no MSG to be found and no peanut oil.
The chicken is farm-raised, fed only vegetables and grains, with no use of growth-boosting
chemicals. Gilmore calls it “clean fried food.”
Their recipes were developed by Chef Gilmore who honed his culinary skills while serving for
14 years in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer, cooking for admirals and
four-star generals. He also served as the special events catering chef in the White House.
Franchisee Mohammad Al Khalili has lived in the Roanoke Valley for many years with his wife
and their three daughters. With an extensive background in economics and two diplomas from
Harvard, he has been a corporate investment banker here for some 16 years, as well as in Qatar,
Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.
founder Mike Sarago (left) with local franchisee Mohammad Al Khalili.
Sarago says he knew immediately when he met Khalili that “he was the kind of person I wanted
to partner with” for the next HCK franchise. Khalili says that HCK Hot Chicken served “the best
chicken I have ever tasted,” ending his search for a restaurant to occupy space in the convenience
store.
HCK Hot Chicken is known for its involvement in the community and the owners and franchisee
plan to continue that tradition with the Vinton location– especially in the local schools. The
mission of the HCK franchise is “Unity through Food,” harnessing the power of food to bring
people together. Their belief is that “food unites us and can lift people up.”
For more information on HCK Hot Chicken in Vinton, visit the Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/hckhotchickenvinton/or call 540-566-4859.
