ROCHESTER — Citing the struggling economy, Championship Dining is closing Porch Fried Chicken restaurant after about five months along Rochester’s South Broadway.
Chef Justin Schoville and Lindsay Zubay say the restaurant at 808 Broadway Ave. S. in the Soldiers Field Plaza will close Oct. 30.
“Unfortunately, we’re just not making it work. I don’t necessarily think it’s so much that location because our June numbers were really, really, phenomenal when we opened back up,” said Schoville. “Unfortunately, our ‘honeymoon’ didn’t last very long. The truth is most restaurants are down right now with the economy the way it is. People don’t have as much disposable income, and they’re watching what they’re spending.”
Porch, which opened in June, is the second restaurant concept that Championship Dining tried in that space. They launched the “Cuban-ish” eatery Yuma Fritas there in December 2025. Yuma Fritas followed Steve Dunn’s Taco Jed, which had a seven-year run at that location.
Porch Fried Chicken’s 15 employees on staff will have the option to transfer to Championship Dining’s other Rochester restaurants, Hot Chip, Boxcar Hippie or North Mr. Pizza, which remain open.
Schoville said the hope after Porch closes is that another restaurant will step in and lease the space and some of the equipment.
Porch Fried Chicken’s origin story started in 2016, when Championship Dining opened The Porch on the main floor in Rochester’s historic Chicago Great Western railroad depot building at 20 Fourth St. SE. That was soon followed by the launch of The Cellar in the depot’s small basement area. The Cellar served cocktails and small plates. A vegan spin-off of the Hot Chip gourmet burger bar later took over The Cellar space.
In 2020, Schoville and Zubay rebranded The Porch as Porch Fried Chicken to make it more accessible, with more of a focus on its signature fried chicken and more sandwiches with a counter-service format. That is the model that they re-launched on South Broadway.
A bird flu outbreak in 2021 that caused the cost of chicken to triple in price, coupled with a staffing shortage, drove them to close the doors of the first Porch Fried Chicken in 2021.
In addition to high costs of today’s economy, Schoville said there is another factor that Porch faced this time around compared to 2021.
“I think one reason that you don’t get the long extended honeymoon periods now is because of all of the competition. There’s a lot more choices now than there ever used to be. When we opened Porch in its original location, we had a good three- to four-month honeymoon where we were just cranking it. There is a lot more competition, and unfortunately, most of that competition is either corporate or franchises.”
Competition among chicken-centered eateries has really heated up in Rochester.
Rochester’s first Popeyes restaurant
is expected to open soon, as is Wingstop, which is known for its spicy chicken wings. Dave’s Hot Chicken also recently opened its first Rochester location at 1620 Broadway Ave. S.
Post Bulletin illustration
Jeff Kiger writes a daily column, “Heard Around Rochester,” in addition to writing articles about local businesses, Mayo Clinic, IBM, Hormel Foods, Crenlo and others. The opinions of my employer do not necessarily reflect my opinions. He has worked in Rochester for the Post Bulletin since 1999. Send tips to jkiger@postbulletin.com or via Twitter to @whereskiger . You can call him at 507-285-7798.
Dining and Cooking