By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Crispy, hand-breaded chicken fingers, house-made sauces and a full lineup of combo meals are coming to Hutchinson this spring.
The Coop Chicken Fingers plans to open at 420 E. 30th Ave., in the former Taco John’s building, with a target launch in early May. The Hutchinson store will mark the company’s first Kansas location, with a Wichita site expected to follow later this summer.
The concept centers on made-to-order chicken served in three, four and five-finger combos, along with a Coop sandwich combo and a grilled cheese combo. Each meal comes with fries and a drink.
“We care about serving food fast, serving fresh food fast,” co-owner Eliot McDonald said. “If you have good speed of service but the food’s not fresh, what’s the point?”
McDonald has spent nearly a decade in the chicken finger industry. Most recently, he served as director of operations for a national chicken chain, where he worked alongside current business partner Henry Panameño.
Panameño was McDonald’s third hire at that former brand in 2019, and the two have worked together for seven years.
“We know what each other’s strengths and shortcomings are,” McDonald said. “We complement each other well and raise each other up.”
After exploring franchising opportunities that did not materialize, the pair decided to launch their own brand.
“We decided we were going to start our own brand,” McDonald said. “So we started The Coop Chicken Fingers just this past year.”
The company opened its first location in November 2025 in Ames, Iowa, directly across from Iowa State University.
“It’s been a huge success so far,” McDonald said. “Students love it, people that live in the town love it. We do have a very good product.”
Unlike many growing quick-service chains, The Coop Chicken Fingers is not a franchise. McDonald said maintaining ownership control is key to protecting standards.
“We want to control our product and our service,” he said.
Why Hutch of all places?
The Ames store thrives on foot traffic from the university and does not have a drive-thru. But McDonald said that model would not translate as effectively to most standalone markets.
“These types of concepts do better in drive-thrus,” he said. “If you’re going into just a city that doesn’t have that foot traffic, you have to have a drive-thru.”
Kansas offered multiple second-generation restaurant sites with existing drive-thru infrastructure. McDonald and Panameño toured the Hutchinson property and several locations in Wichita before signing leases in both cities.
“We wanted to stay fairly close,” McDonald said. “We were looking predominantly in the Midwest and stumbled on the location in Hutchinson, also a few in Wichita. We felt that would be easiest for us to expand to and build a big footprint there.”
The location on East 30th Avenue stood out for its traffic volume and visibility.
“We really liked it. Love the traffic there,” McDonald said.
Exterior painting has begun at the Hutchinson site, and interior renovations are underway. Kitchen equipment has been ordered, and the company is working through permitting and signage approvals.
The Wichita location is expected to open in early July. McDonald said spacing the openings will allow the company to focus on execution.
“I really don’t want to open two stores two weeks apart,” he said. “If you give it two months apart, that gives you a lot more time and a lot more leeway.”
Sauce and spice options
In addition to original chicken fingers, the restaurant offers a spicy option with the heat built directly into the breading rather than added after cooking.
“You have other brands where their spicy is something that goes on after it’s cooked,” McDonald said. “Ours is inside the breading. It’s just like eating a regular finger, but it has a very good kick to it.”
Sauces are central to the concept. The Hutchinson location will feature eight house-made options: Coop Sauce, which is a mustard-based smoky sauce; Fox Sauce, a ketchup-and-mayo-based peppery sauce; Buttermilk Ranch; Jalapeño Ranch; BBQ; Buffalo; Hot Honey; and Honey Mustard.
The company is also exploring adding gravy to the menu, as McDonald noted that would do well in the Hutchinson market.
Hiring and hours
The Coop expects to hire between 25 and 30 employees for the Hutchinson store, with hiring projected to begin in mid-April depending on permitting progress. Positions will include both part-time and full-time roles.
McDonald plans to relocate to Kansas within the next 30 days and will spend the majority of his time in Hutchinson and Wichita as the company builds its footprint in the state. He said finding a general manager with strong ties to the Hutchinson community is a priority.
Store hours are expected to run from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the possibility of extending to 11 p.m.
The Coop’s branding features orange and red tones and a fox mascot, a nod to the “fox in the henhouse” theme. Once renovations are complete, the Hutchinson building will feature a large neon fox outline on the exterior.
If construction and permitting remain on schedule, The Coop Chicken Fingers will open in early May along East 30th Avenue — the first step in what McDonald expects will be a significant Kansas expansion.
“We’re very optimistic about this market,” he said.
