GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio (WCMH) – A local chain of hot chicken restaurants now has its seventh Ohio storefront, and gave a historic building a makeover in the process.

Hot Chicken Takeover has expanded aggressively over the past three years with funding from a New York stakeholder. It grew from Columbus into Cleveland in 2019, followed by adding its fourth restaurant in 2020 at Polaris Parkway, its Westerville shop in 2021, and a Lewis Center location in 2022.

The chicken chain’s newest branch in the Fifth by Northwest neighborhood — adjacent to Grandview Heights — opened right before the new year and ahead of a massive winter storm in central Ohio. Since then, HCT Director of Operations Brian Dudley told NBC4 that the store has seen a large turnout from old and new customers alike.

“Maybe this restaurant, specifically, is in their travel path, and it’s been outstanding,” Dudley said.

The building now housing Hot Chicken Takeover — located at the intersection of Grandview Avenue and 5th — has a storied past dating back nearly a century. It first opened around 84 years ago as Rife’s Market, which stayed in business until the owners sold its property in 2014, documents from the Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services show.

From there, it changed hands to Two Caterers Contemporary Cuisine, followed by Sweet Carrot. The brunch store then shut down in 2021, and the building sat empty for more than a year.

Hot Chicken Takeover eyed another expansion and took up the mantle, announcing it would open a store in the building on Dec. 17, 2022. While it’s a new business taking over, some relics from the past were preserved, rather than completely changed.

“We kept the traditional neon sign out front that represents the Grandview community,” Dudley said.

The neon sign — now marked with its new owner’s branding — previously had the Sweet Carrot’s title prominently displayed even when the building sat deserted. Another more recent, eye-catching part of the building was its “Love Thy Neighbor” mural. Artist Carly Mitchell painted it on the west side of the building in the summer of 2020 to share a positive message in the midst of the pandemic. Dudley said the team decided that mural wasn’t going anywhere when Hot Chicken Takeover moved in.

“We wanted to honor that and really put our spin on it,” Dudley said. “So, Carly was nice enough to come out and refresh it, and hide a rooster and a star in there somewhere.”

The restaurant also wants to take advantage of some of the building’s included features inherited from its previous tenants, like front-facing windows made out of garage doors. The doors can slide up to allow Hot Chicken Takeover to open for outdoor dining and events, including Grandview Heights’ popular summer community stroll known as the Grandview Hop.

“We are set up with garage doors and a large patio out front, bike racks for people to park their bikes, so yeah, we really see this as a community-based restaurant,” Dudley said. “We’d love to be a part of that.”

Hot Chicken Takeover’s menu features a variety of cuts of chicken, and Dudley said that it has options for newcomers to get acquainted with.

“The tenders ‘Warm’ tend to be a point where everybody can connect with, and then from there, determine what heat level they want to get into and experience with us,” Dudley said. “Also, the slaw and the mac and cheese, which ‘Ma’s Mac’ is a traditional recipe.”

Alongside the hot dishes, customers also get to pick their level of spice. The restaurant dubs these “Cool,” “Warm,” “Hot” or “Holy,” which is its most extreme.

“I think the boneless chicken breast for me is a favorite,” Dudley said. “On days I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll grab a ‘Holy.'”

The Fifth by Northwest addition to Hot Chicken Takeover’s family of stores is open for dining in, carryout or delivery, Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. The restaurant is available by phone at 614-502-3599 as well.

“We look forward to seeing people not only through the winter months, but as the spring gets here, out on the patio having dinner, having lunch with us, and we’re really just proud to be part of Grandview,” Dudley said.