A new chapter opened for one of Mobile’s favorite homegrown chicken finger chains this month, as Foosackly’s debuted its largest restaurant to date on Dauphin Street in midtown Mobile. The new location opened its doors at 10:30 a.m. on a Monday morning in June, replacing a much smaller building that had served customers since 2008.
Outgrowing a Tiny Drive-Through
The previous Dauphin Street restaurant sat on the south side of the road near Springdale Boulevard and offered only a drive-through, with no dining room at all. According to store manager Edward Robinson, the little building simply could not keep up with how popular the chain had become. “It was tiny,” Robinson said. “It exceeded our expectations. We’ve grown so much as a company since we built that store.”
The cramped setup created real headaches for both the business and drivers on Dauphin Street. When as few as five vehicles lined up in the drive-through, the last car would spill out into traffic. Rather than wait, many drivers simply gave up and drove away, while others resorted to parking in the grassy strip between the service road and Dauphin. “We were losing customers,” Robinson said. “It was a bit of a headache to get into and out of. The new site represents an opportunity to take advantage of the demand.”
A Local Chain’s Roots
Foosackly’s traces its history back to April 28, 2000, when the first restaurant opened on University Boulevard. The chain’s memorable name grew out of the hard-to-pronounce surname of its owner, Will Fusaiotti, who liked how “Foosackly” sounded as a shorthand. Since then, the company has expanded to seven locations in Mobile and one across the bay in Foley in Baldwin County. Robinson said the company would welcome a location on the Eastern Shore someday, though nothing is currently planned.
What’s New
The new restaurant sits just west of Sage Avenue, on a lot where a former Popeyes was demolished to make way for construction. Inside, the design takes on a more modern feel, still built around the chain’s signature “Foo blue” but now accented with yellow and orange walls. One notable change: soft drinks and the chain’s popular sweet tea will no longer be self-serve, with staff instead making drinks for customers at the counter. “We wanted to add that layer of service,” Robinson said.
The new building seats more than 60 customers inside, plus another 16 on an outdoor patio along Dauphin Street furnished with stainless-steel tables and blue umbrellas. The old, smaller location closed for good on a Sunday night around 9 p.m., with the company still weighing how to use that space going forward, including ideas like a lunch-only drive-through or a hub for catering and delivery orders.