Top Chef alums’ fried chicken chain only has 2 locations left

Appearing on a reality show can bring attention to a chef and create buzz for their new restaurant. What it can't do is convert initial curiosity into long-term success.

"The whole point of being a celebrity chef — whether it's by exceptionally working through the ranks at already notable restaurants run by others, or making a name for oneself with appearances on Food Network, daytime TV, or 'Top Chef' — is to open a restaurant all one's own, according to The Takeout.

Having a big name, or at least name recognition, however, does not guarantee success.

"For a number of reasons, economics, personal drama, politics, or legal entanglements, occasionally a famous chef's big restaurant can't sustain the hype, build a clientele, or stay open longer than a few years or even a few months," the website added.

Those failures, which the Takeout detailed, include restaurants by Cat Cora, Masaharu Morimoto, Jose Garces, Carla Hall, Gordon Ramsay, Tyler Florence, and Guy Fieri.

Now, a restaurant chain started by "Top Chef" competitors Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis, Root & Bone, has closed another location, leaving the once-growing chain with only two remaining restaurants.

Root & Bone closes another location

Root & Bone, an upscale fried chicken chain, shared that its Indianapolis location will close on April 27 in a Facebook post.

"Closing this chapter of Root & Bone with full hearts. Thank you for the memories, celebrations, and everyday moments. We’ve got a little more time—come enjoy your favorites and use those gift cards before June 7th," the restaurant shared.

The location will close for good on June 7.

"Root and Bone was originally the project of chef-owners and 'Top Chef' alums Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis, who opened the first location of the mini-chain in New York in 2014," according to the Indianapolis Star.

Root & Bone Chicken goes back to 2014

McInnis and Booth opened the First Root & Bone in 2014 in New York.

"McInnis and Booth are serving a different fried chicken here (it’s brined in sweet tea, and served with Tabasco honey), alongside dishes like shrimp and grits, short rib meatloaf, and blue crab Waldorf salad," Eater New York reported when the restaurant opened.

The company partnered with Grove Bay Group to add a South Miami location in 2019, which shut down in 2019, according to Miami New Times.

"Unfortunately, due to what the team describes as 'challenges brought on by the pandemic' and a 'change in diners’ habits,' the chefs, restaurant team, and Grove Bay Group ultimately decided to close the restaurant," Miami New Times reported.

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The New York Root & Bone location closed in 2021.

Root & Bone now operates two locations, one in Chesterton, Ind., and one in Hendersonville, N.C.

That contraction comes as the broader chicken segment has become increasingly competitive, even as demand for poultry continues to grow across U.S. restaurant menus.

Fried chicken is a challenging space

While chicken consumption grew in 2025, according to Dataessential's "Meat, Poultry & Seafood Keynote Report," the market has become increasingly crowded.

“We saw 27% of poultry consumers say they had increased poultry consumption, and only 6% said they decreased consumption — the highest increase and lowest decrease among those three protein categories (poultry, seafood and red meat),” Dataessential Research Manager Emily Murawski told Food Business News.. “Similarly, 57% of poultry-serving operators saw increased sales of poultry, and only 2% saw a decrease."

Chicken, however, has become an increasing priority for burger chains as the price of beef has been rising.

McDonald's Global Chief Restaurant Experience Manager Jill McDonald made it clear that her chain remained focused on chicken.

"Lastly, chicken. Just as a reminder, this global category is 2x the size of beef and faster growing. We grew our chicken category share across our top 10 markets in 2025 and believe we're well on our way to increasing our share by at least 1 percentage point by the end of 2026 versus where we were in December 2023," she said during McDonald's fourth-quarter earnings call.

Trying to grow market share in chicken is not unique to McDonald's.

“Even though beef is an important item for a lot of restaurants, some operators, because of the tight supply, are starting to introduce a variety of chicken items this summer. The hope is that they’ll take away some of the pain that higher beef prices are causing,” Bill Lapp, president of Omaha, Neb.-based Advanced Economic Solutions, told the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

Chicken chains have been growing as well, which creates a crowded market.

“Chicken-focused concepts grew faster than burger-focused concepts last year, but burger chains are still bigger from an overall sales volume perspective,” Technomic's Industry Research Director Kevin Schimpf told Food Business News.

Related: McDonald's new drinks menu looks to take down Starbucks