This popular chicken restaurant in Macon plans to open its third location in Forsyth

The popular Macon restaurant Biddy’s plans to open another location in Forsyth early next year.

“It will be a good transition into Forsyth because a lot of people live nearby obviously and they drive back and forth from work,” said Ethan Henning, an owner of the restaurant.

Henning and his family opened the first Biddy’s in Macon in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

“It was a crazy time. We had to open up with the safety protocols in place. We didn’t even have our full capacity or full seating at the time. So, it was a lot of learning, for sure, a lot of learning on our feet,” he said. “We’re kind of getting back on our feet, and we’re super excited for the next steps.”

After just six months of the Macon location opening, Henning said they opened the Covington location.

But, growing so fast definitely hasn’t been easy, he said.

“It may seem fast, but it feels very slow sometimes to me,” he said with a laugh.

His main focus has been figuring out what works and what doesn’t, but he has help. His family has been in the restaurant business for several years, so he has been able to lean on them for help when he has needed it, he said.

When his mother, Kim Crumbley, became pregnant with him, she was working at a chicken wing restaurant, and she eventually started her own restaurant. Kim and her husband, Jeremy Crumbley, now own several Mexican restaurants, and as early as middle school, Henning said, he was learning the ropes of the restaurant industry.

“It’s kind of just figuring it out on your feet and doing the best you can and trying to always make sure the customer is happy. That’s always our goal,” Henning said.

Lane Hayslip, 24, is a frequent visitor of Biddy’s in Macon, and he said it is his favorite local spot.

“They’re always fast. I love the staff here too. They’re very, very friendly,” he said. “I’ve never had a bad meal here.”

As Biddy’s expands, Henning said he wants to focus on keeping the same standard of customer service as their Macon store.

“We want to make sure we’re growing in a way that is sustainable and not just opening stores, not managing them correctly,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is be able to be a little faster, be more streamlined, focus on kind of what we’re most proud of.”

The location, at 114 E. Johnston St. in Forsyth, will have a more refined menu. The most popular items will still be on the menu, and Henning said they are going to try to have enough variety for everyone, including grilled chicken options.

The building is a former Georgia Bob’s location, and Henning said they plan to do considerable renovations. This building will be the first building he and his family have owned for a restaurant, he said.

“We’re really super excited to do the renovation,” he said. “We’re super, super excited to kind of nerd out on some of the details and get some of the things that we would’ve liked to have done in other locations.”

Henning hopes to employ 15 to 25 people at the new location depending on how much business they do.

“Hopefully, it will be busy, and we will employ as many people as we can,” he said.

He has a lot of family and friends in Forsyth and knows Forsyth receives a lot of traffic from Interstate 75, so he believes the store is in a good location, he said.

“We know that area is going to be popular in the next few years,” Henning said. “We’re super, super thankful for the support we’ve had so far, and we appreciate all the love especially in Macon specifically.”