Chef William Dissen is bringing his restaurant brand, Billy D’s Fried Chicken, to two new locations at Elon University and Wake Forest University. The new locations will serve more than 16,000 students and staff. Billy D’s Fried Chicken will sell made-to-order meals with ingredients sourced from sustainable organic farms in North Carolina.
The restaurant’s first location opened in 2018 at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.
“Since opening our first location, we’ve seen an incredible response to the brand and our quick-serve take on southern fried chicken. Guests at the North Carolina Zoo consistently remarked how great tasting the sandwiches, southern fixings and barbecue sauces are,” Dissen said in a statement. “It’s what caught the attention of Harvest Table Culinary Group, the organization that helped create this partnership with such distinguished universities as Elon University and Wake Forest.”
The menu features southern fried chicken, chicken sandwiches and sides including watermelon salad, macaroni and cheese, waffle fries and coleslaw.
Billy D’s Fried Chicken was inspired by chef Dissen’s mission of bringing farm-to-table meals to mainstream customers, according to a statement. Dissen also has plans to expand the brand to more universities in the future.
“When Elon Dining shared the growing sentiment from students to have healthy, sustainably-operated restaurant options, and that our values lined up with theirs, I was honored,” said Dissen, in a statement, “My passion for the culinary arts is rooted in highlighting Appalachian food and small farms that are doing right by our climate and agricultural communities.”