Wicked Chicken sets up shop in central Whanganui

Wicked Chicken Wanganui store manager Arora Anmol (left) with Tamara Waitokia and Ammie Bell. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui has welcomed a new fried chicken store.

Wicked Chicken has opened at 402 Victoria Ave, near the Mad Butcher and Pizza Hut.

The restaurant has four stores in Auckland and one in Hamilton. Whanganui will be the franchise's sixth store in New Zealand.

Whanganui store manager Anmol Arora said he tried Wicked Chicken when he was visiting Auckland in 2021 and asked about the possibility of becoming a franchisee and opening a store in Whanganui.

"I was in Sylvia Park and I tried it, and I really liked the food. I wanted to bring what they had at that store to Whanganui."

Arora said all their chicken was halal and they had a wide range of burgers.

"It's not too spicy, it is mild seasoning. Many people do worry about it, but it isn't too spicy.

"All food is made fresh to order and we try to make everything as quick as possible."

Once the store was all set up, Arora said he was inspired to follow the lead of Domino's Wanganui owner Neeraj Vishwakarma, who has run several fundraisers for locals who need a hand.

"The staff is still under training but we have had some really good feedback."

At the moment, Wicked Chicken is open only for takeaways. Arora said they were waiting for some items for the dine-in area and the restaurant should be open fully in the next two weeks.

He said they offered delivery through Delivereasy and planned on starting catering in the near future.

The store is open from 11am to 10pm daily.