Kinan Moufti spends a lot of time standing under the Belmont stop in Lakeview. He’s been handing out free sandwich vouchers for his new restaurant at 953 W Belmont Ave—and he’s documenting the entire journey on social media.
Moufti is a partner at Hot Chi, along with brothers Amer and Mutaz Abdullah, a Nashville hot chicken-slinging restaurant with locations in the South Side neighborhood Chatam, the Old Post Office, Sterling Food Hall in the Loop, and soon, Lakeview. The trio’s culinary portfolio also includes Cedars, a 33-year-old Mediterranean eatery in Hyde Park.
“Documenting the journey has been a wonderful way to kickstart our relationship with the Lakeview community,” Moufti says. “It started as a way to show others a real BTS of what it takes to get a restaurant up and running, and it’s turned into a way to meet hundreds of locals, commuters and nearby business owners.”
@kinan.moufti Episode 1 in the books. Intentional marketing based on primary research. 3 months is an awesome timeline to make a huge splash when we open #chicagotiktok #restaurantmarketing #restaurantowners #smallbusinessowners #lakeview #lakeviewchicago #northsidechicago original sound - Kinan
Launched in 2021, Hot Chi is best known for its chicken wings and sandwiches, like the hot honey butter chicken sandwiches and the “Popeye’s Ain’t Sh!t,” made with whipped garlic sauce. All creations are influenced by Middle Eastern cuisine.
With man-on-the-street style videos and countdowns to the opening, the Hot Chi team has racked up millions of views on TikTok and Instagram—but this isn’t their first rodeo.
“In some ways, this is all brand new because we haven't opened yet, and we're already full swing into talking to our future community,” Amer says of social media’s impact. “In other ways, this is exactly what we've been doing for the past five years since we started documenting all of our experiences on social media from our early days with Cedars.”
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“Chicago’s food lovers pepper the comments section about how they've tried Hot Chi before, and that they're excited about us landing on the Northside,” Mutaz adds. “Our contractors also get inspired and excited that their work is being broadcast to the Lakeview community.”
Hot Chi plans to give out thousands of free sandwiches on opening day, just as they did for the opening of their Sterling Food Hall location, which drew in a whopping 5,000 people on day one.
“It was pure mayhem in the best way,” Amer adds.
You can also expect Lakeview-exclusive menu items like The Dirty Mac, a gooey mac 'n cheese topped with hot chicken, Alabama white sauce and Hot Chi’s signature seasoning. The space will also be used to host comedy shows, music performances and even chicken-eating contests.
The hype for Hot Chi’s Lakeview debut is real: Moufti says strangers stop him on the street to congratulate him and express their excited anticipation. The power of social media cannot be underestimated, especially in Chicago’s restaurant scene. It’s a place where local small business owners introduce themselves in the comments sections, foodies drool over saucy chicken strip videos and the Hot Chi team has been building a community long before they opened for business.