Two restaurants open in South Mississippi just in time for holiday deals & specials
The owners of two new Coast restaurants have conquered supply chain issues and after months of delays are opening in South Mississippi.
Firehouse Subs at 1531 Bienville Blvd., in Ocean Springs, at the Winn-Dixie shopping center, opened Wednesday and owner Justin Green said that afternoon, “We’re excited to be here.”
Slim Chickens opens at 10 a.m. Monday at the corner of Cedar Lake and Popp’s Ferry roads in Biloxi.
“This will be location No, 200 for the Slim Chickens system,” said David Bagwell, the owner of the Biloxi franchise. He had hoped to open in March, but delays in getting building supplies forced him to be creative and bring in temporary air conditioning units that are working just fine, he said.
People will get a taste of the first Slim Chickens in South Mississippi, and Bagwell said, “We do expect it will be very busy.”
During training this week, some of the 160 new staff members were lined up outside and he said people driving by shouted, “Just open already!”
What Slim Chickens is known for
Starting Monday, they will be able to order chicken tenders, wraps, salads, sandwiches, wings and Southern sides, like fried mushrooms and pickles that dominate the restaurant’s regular menu.
For a limited time Tender Mac Bowls that combine chicken and macaroni and cheese also are on the menu from Day 1.
Raspberry and peach tea are brewed in-house year-round, he said, and the current seasonal flavor of cranberry lemonade is so popular, people buy it by the gallon to make their own festive punch.
Brownies are always on the dessert menu, along with seasonal flavors of cheesecake and jar desserts.
The first week after opening is pretty well business as usual, he said. Then the promotions begin.
“There’s a lot of fun stuff that will be happening,” he said. Days of Deals typically starts around the third week with discounts.
The Golden Ticket follows. Customers get a golden ticket scratch-off game and, similar to “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” a “prized few” will get free chicken for a year, he said.
Slim Chickens’ favorites typically are three- or four-piece chicken tender meals, he said, although they do see some deviation. At the restaurant that just opened in Tupelo in August, “Chicken wings were the fan favorite there,” he said.
The restaurant is open daily from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and the drive-through till 11 p.m. Online orders will be ready to go Monday, he said, and third-party delivery in about two weeks.
Firehouse Subs’ menu and purpose
The Ocean Springs location of Firehouse Subs is the first in Jackson County. Justin Green has two others in Biloxi and Gulfport and his first in Hattiesburg that he opened in 2006.
It’s the first business in what was the Blockbuster Video store that operated there years ago and Green said they found VHS tapes left behind when they took over the space. Now a mural made for the Ocean Springs location is what people will see when they walk in. lt was created by artist Joe Puskas and depicts an Ocean Springs firefighter and three boys carrying a fire hose while sporting turnout gear.
What makes Firehouse Subs’ menu distinctive is steaming the meats and cheeses to enhance the flavor and serving the subs on their private-recipe rolls.
“It’s fresh. It’s high quality,” he said, and well portioned. T
“The Hook & Ladder is probably the most popular,” he said, with turkey, ham and Monterey jack cheese, served “fully involved,” with mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion. and a kosher dill pickle on the side.
The new prime rib steak sub is something special, he said. and a daily medium sub special puts a Meatball Monday and spicy cajun chicken Thursday on sale.
The restaurant is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and offers online ordering, call-in phone orders, third-party delivery plus dine-in or take-out service.
The company is founded on supporting first responders in the local communities and providing life-saving equipment through its Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.
“It’s one of the reasons why we’re here,” Green said. A portion of the sales go to the first responders and customers contribute anytime they round up the purchase price or buy a pickle bucket.
This past year the donation amounted to $153,000 in Mississippi alone, he said.
“Looking to really take that community involvement to another level,” Green said he and his wife, Jenny, just bought a home in Ocean Springs to be near their Coast businesses.
Since the Foundation started, it has granted over $71 million to provide equipment, training and support to hometown heroes,” according to the company website.
This story was originally published December 9, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
