21 Feb 2026
There’s never been such a sense of anticipation as that surrounding the city’s new Chicken George restaurant.
When the St Albans Times broke the news of the eatery coming to The Maltings Shopping Centre back in November, more than 180,000 people engaged with our social media posts.
The now-legendary fried chicken brand is taking over the corner of the centre recently occupied by Locked Rooms – opposite flagship SADC development Jubilee Square – and when we say takeover we mean takeover.
Chris Cheah, aka Chicken George Jr, has wildly ambitious plans to transform the site into a venue the likes of which St Albans has never seen before, crafting a fusion of entertainment zone, American sports bar and fast food takeaway, all coated with that Chicken George magic.
He revealed that although they’re already on the look out for other locations, St Albans is the restaurant which they will use to show off to anyone interested in the franchise.
“We’re going to expand slowly, at our own pace, so that we can protect the brand, but this is us getting our mega site, and it will be the biggest and best one.
“We’ve been looking for somewhere in St Albans for five years, about three years ago we found another location and outbid everybody else who was interested, but at the last minute the landlords said they didn’t want a chicken shop in there.
“I don’t think they quite grasped that we’re not just about chicken. They thought we’d bring in late night drinkers and all that, but we’re not a late night venue, we close at 11.”
The unit is split across two levels, allowing the restaurant to be divided into distinct areas providing markedly different experiences for the customer, and Chris is keen to show off his vision.
“The ground floor level, as you come in, is kind of ‘grab and go’, so you order on a touchscreen, grab your food and sit wherever you want, as there’s not really any table service going on down here.”
He indicates a small area to the right of the main entrance: “This side will be for the Deliveroo drivers, who will go and wait in there so they won’t disturb anyone, unlike some places where the drivers are everywhere on a Saturday night.”
The open kitchen will be located to the rear of the ground floor, near three PlayStation zones providing customers with the chance to have a game while they eat.
“One’s going to have FIFA on, another will have Fortnite for the younger generation, but they’re all locked in – bench, controllers, four players – we can even do FIFA tournament nights, so that’s a bit of fun.
“It’s going to be really snazzy, really bright and really cool. There’s going to be a massive two-sided TV in the window with our promotions on one side and sports on the other, so even if you’re coming for a takeaway you can watch the football while you wait.”
The interior design includes plenty of neon and bold street art, with slogans such as ‘Chicken for the People’, ‘With Great Power Comes Great Flavour’, ‘Built on Flavour Powered by Chicken’ and ‘Chicken Mode Activated’ emblazoned on the walls.
Chris is excited about bringing some new sauces to the menu: “That’s what our business is built on. It’s my chef background – I used to work on fish, sauces and meat, and I was in charge of looking after the stock.
“Making sauces is my favourite thing in the world. At the moment we’ve got salt and pepper which has just come out, I’ve just made a Szechuan orange, and I’m working on a pineapple habanero.
“Ask my missus, I’ll wake up at two in the morning and just go and make the sauce I see in my head. That’s how the mango sauce came about.”
We make our way up the stairs to the upper floor: “This is what I call the fun part,” says Chris, explaining that it was one of the things which appealed the most about the unit.
“If you go to our other sites they’re takeaway and restaurant combined, but here we separate the two. There will be a massive long bar across here with three TV screens,” he indicates the back wall, “and the bar will be deep so you can sit there and eat there. It’s the whole thing about American sports bars, if you’re on your own you can just go and sit at the bar, chat to the staff and watch the sports. It’s just brilliant.
“We’ve put six taps in, and I think we’re going to go with Mad Squirrel for some of them, and a lot of craft beer in a fridge, because St Albans is very crafty! We’ve got a cocktail machine as well, so it’s all quite snazzy and fast.”
He points out some of the other features on this floor: “There’s a booth here with a disco ball, and you’ve got a DJ booth just down here [at the far end], playing Friday and Saturday nights, maybe all day Saturdays to fill the place up with a nice vibe, so even if you’ve come to get a takeaway you’re still getting that buzzy street food vibe.”
Chris has spent the past few years researching other fried chicken chains to avoid making the same mistakes they have in terms of atmosphere.
“There’s one nationwide franchise that has about 60, 70 stores, but I went in there and it felt like McDonald’s – you touch the screen, sit down, eat your food and you go.
“We want to sit on that price point and make our food accessible for everybody, but we also want to offer the extras that will make you want to stay here and have fun.”
There’s also a private hire area on this floor, complete with interactive darts and TV in an open snug area.
“Last service at the bar, unless there’s a boxing match on – in which case we’ll apply for a special licence – is 11 o’clock.”
But despite this new permanent presence in the city centre, there’s no danger of Chicken George leaving its home at Clarence Park, where its matchday food van is often more popular than what’s happening on the pitch.
“I love it down there, we’ve got friends down there, and I’ve even spoken to Lawrence [Levy, SACFC co-owner and chairman] about coming with them if they build that new stadium.
“So we’re staying at St Albans football club and we’re not leaving!”
The contractors are expected to leave the site around March 22 or 23, following which will be a VIP launch event behind closed doors for invited guests, with the restaurant set to open to the public immediately afterwards.
For site manager Kris, the project has been the chance to work on something completely different from the big chains he is used to: “We’re really excited to do this one.”
Architect Jo Hone, of Hone Edwards Associates, interior designers for restaurants and the leisure industry, is also enjoying the challenge: “Chris gave us a lot of free rein. We just came back to him and said, ‘What about this? What do you think of this?’
“One of the things I’m most excited about are the toilets – you push a button and it turns into a disco with lights and garage music!”
With just five weeks to go before the doors open at Chicken George St Albans, Maltings general manager Richard Marrett is beside himself with excitement as the countdown begins: “Chicken George is a brilliant addition to The Maltings. Chris has created something truly special – a strong local brand with big ambition and real personality – and we’re proud to be part of its next chapter.
“There’s already huge anticipation around the opening, and rightly so. Chicken George will bring fresh energy and excitement to the centre, and we know St Albans can’t wait to see their doors open!”
