Dallas is having a new ghost kitchen in the name of Smackbird and the restaurant behind it is none other than Cowboy Chicken according to a Nation’s Restaurant News article. They say, 

“The Dallas-based chain Cowboy Chicken chain is rolling out a new virtual brand for delivery and pickup only dubbed Smackbird, featuring Nashville hot chicken sandwiches and tenders.

Like most virtual brands, the goal is to take advantage of extra kitchen capacity and increase sales. Cowboy Chicken restaurants already were equipped with fryers.

In an interview earlier this year, Kennedy said it was a brand they have been tinkering with since the 2020 launch as a “bolt on” to the Cowboy Chicken brand. 

“We really learned how to market a brand you can’t touch,” he said. “We’ve got the kitchen capacity to be able to handle more volume. … It may not fit into all of our kitchens, but it fits into most.”

And their menu of course, will comprise primarily of chicken-based items but the items won’t be ordinary especially to the younger generation according to a QSR Magazine article from July 5 which reports, 

“Menu items include a curated selection of chicken sandwiches ($10—$11), chicken tender meals ($10 – $17), family packs and side dishes ($3 – $7) such as:

• Smack n’ Cheese sandwich: all-white-meat chicken breast topped with mac n’ cheese and served with pickles, slaw and SmackSauce
• Jumbo Tender Meal: two, three or four all-white-meat chicken breast tenders with pickles, bread and SmackSauce served with a choice of one side
• SmackPacks: includes eight, 10 or 12 tenders, choice of heat level, pints of slaw, SmackSauce, bread and pickles
• Sides such as mac n’ cheese, fry dippers and creamy coleslaw
• Banana pudding for dessert

“We are experts in serving tasty, freshly prepared chicken and it seemed natural to expand into the Nashville Hot style category. We always want to be the guests’ first choice for chicken,” Kennedy explains. “The Smackbird menu appeals to a younger and more adventurous demographic and is helping us attract new patrons.”

Currently, Cowboy Chicken is looking at expanding to Orlando and Atlanta with two to three more kitchens in each city.