CINCINNATI — The first three weeks at F&N Goode Chick’n Tenders’ new Clifton location “were terrifying,” manager Jon Fessel said Saturday night. Expanding the West Side restaurant franchise during a pandemic that flattened the food industry wouldn’t have been anyone’s first choice.
“It was really, really scary,” Fessel said.
But owner Jacque Millican was determined to grow the business, and the new Short Vine location felt like the best way to do it.
They worked hard, Fessel said, but they also got lucky. Longtime customers kept coming to their original location, for one thing. For another, F&N’s counter-service style — call in, pick up your food and go — was well-suited for carryout orders.
It’s been a success so far, Millican said. F&N is hiring new employees and attracting new customers despite the ongoing pandemic.
“Being locally and family owned and operated, we, with our success, want to do everything we can for the area,” she said. “If we’re successful, so is everyone else around us.”
