Hot Biddy’s to add brick-and-mortar location

Rich Palzewic

Staff

June 15, 2026

APPLETON – Ever since they opened their Nashville-style fried chicken food truck in 2023, Essa and Aaron Cole, owners of Hot Biddy’s, said they had their sights set on opening a brick-and-mortar location someday.

Their five-year plan, they said, included finding a sit-down restaurant space to complement their popular Appleton-based food truck.

With the food truck gaining more traction yearly, Essa Cole said they recently found the perfect spot to make that sit-down restaurant dream a reality at 5120 W. Michael’s Drive in Appleton.

“We’re a few years ahead of schedule,” she said. “We were actually right about to pull the trigger and buy a second food truck instead this year, but this location ended up falling into our lap last minute. The owner of the building, Jerry Manderfield, gave us a deal we couldn’t pass up.”

Cole said the move to a brick-and-mortar location feels “less risky” because of the work Hot Biddy’s has put in over the past three years to build its customer base and brand recognition.

She said the business’s more than 15,000 Facebook followers also helped reinforce the decision.

“We have a really good following now,” she said. “Though we wanted to initially find a location right off the bat, it would have been riskier early on. People really didn’t know us then, but they do now. Right now, we feel pretty secure.”

Between her and Aaron, and the other co-owner, Tim Christensen, Cole said they have about 60 years of restaurant experience.

“We know all the ins and outs of the restaurant industry,” she said. “That experience has come in various forms – from being a dishwasher to a general manager.”

Coming soon

With an opening date “hopefully sometime by the end of July,” Cole said the 2,000 square feet of space will have approximately eight high-top tables, six low-top tables and a patio that’s equal to the inside space.

In combining the spaces for seating, she said there will be between 30 and 40 tables.

“We also have a little grassy area off the patio with outdoor games and stuff for kids and adults,” she said. “I think the patio was a nice selling point for us.”

After securing the location on Michael’s Drive in March, Cole said because past occupants of the space “left a few things to deal with,” they had their work cut out for them transforming the space into what they had envisioned for Hot Biddy’s brick and mortar. 

“Previous occupants had done a few things without permits and approval, so we had to backtrack a bit,” she said. “We had to bring the space up to code and follow the rules. That pushed our timeframe to open back a bit.”

Though the new location offers 2,000 square feet, Cole said the space is actually smaller than the previous restaurant’s setup.

“It used to be a big spot, but the space next to us is now a clothing store,” she said. “They split it in half, walled it off and moved all the kitchen equipment and hood vent over.”

As a result, Cole said the restaurant is adapting to a more compact footprint.

Though smaller, she said that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“I actually think it’s perfect for us,” she said. “We didn’t want to bite off more than we could chew. With 2,000 square feet and the patio on top of that, it’s perfect. Usually, summer is a slower time for restaurants, but the patio will help offset that.”

A food truck journey

Cole said the COVID-19 pandemic sparked conversations about creating a business that would offer something the Fox Valley didn’t already have.

Loving Nashville-style food themselves, she said they settled on that idea – but with a twist.

“We found that Nashville-style food wasn’t done in the traditional way in the valley,” she said. “A lot of people think Nashville style is simply throwing some Frank’s RedHot sauce on. We came up with the idea and designed everything from our logo to our sauce and seasoning blends. We took the plunge.”

Before taking the leap and leaving their full-time jobs, Cole said they sought advice from other food truck operators throughout the Fox Valley.

“We have received a ton of support from other area food trucks who have given us tips and tricks to events,” she said. “We have a private page where we discuss events and related topics. It’s a nice side community that we really enjoy.”

At first, she said opening a traditional restaurant seemed financially out of reach.

Instead, after spending a couple of years planning and saving during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cole said they determined that a food truck offered a more attainable path into the restaurant industry.

So, on April 1, 2023, she said they took the next step, ordering a custom-built food truck from Custom Trailer Pros in Tennessee.

Cole said they designed the truck themselves, tailoring it to fit their vision for the business.

“We drove to Tennessee and picked it up ourselves,” she said. “Custom Trailer Pros was great to work with. They walked us through everything and followed all the regulations. We started with a few small events and dove right in. Three weeks after opening, we were doing huge city events. It quickly took off from there.”

‘We do it the right way’

Cole said she credits the popularity of Hot Biddy’s to one simple reason – “We do it the right way.”

No corners are cut, she said, when it comes to quality.

“We do it the right way, every time,” she said. “Everything we do with our seasonings – from not spicy to really spicy – is our own special blend. We make all of our own sauces.”

Cole said Hot Biddy’s uses never-frozen fresh chicken that Aaron hand-cuts in-house.

As a result, she said the jumbo tenders come from an actual jumbo chicken breast.

“Aaron cuts the chicken down to make three, really big, jumbo tenders,” she said. “Our followers love that. That’s probably one of our top sellers. We got nominated right off the bat for some Golden Fork Awards in Appleton. We’ve won a couple of those every year we’ve been open.”

Before choosing a Nashville-style concept, Cole said they initially explored the idea of a taco truck.

“There were definitely no Nashville-style food trucks, so we kind of cornered the market in the area,” she said.

Cole said the City of Appleton has been “great to work with,” and they wouldn’t be where they are today without the municipality’s support.

“The city is awesome for small businesses,” she said.

Overwhelming response

Though the sit-down restaurant is still several weeks away from hosting patrons, Cole said the response from the community has already been “wonderful and overwhelming.”

“It’s unbelievable,” she said. “We’ve had so many shares [on social media] and people reaching out to say how excited they are. I think some people feel like there aren’t a lot of awesome family-friendly patio spots around. We’re hoping to be that next spot for people.”

For now, Cole said people should check Hot Biddy’s Facebook page for updates on when the restaurant will open and to view where the food truck will be located.

“We’re extremely excited about what’s to come, but the food truck will be out and about, so check it out,” she said.

Though they are busy preparing for the opening of Hot Biddy’s brick-and-mortar location, Cole said the original food truck is expected to continue seeing strong demand this year. 

“We start booking in January, and we are a pretty popular food truck, so we book up pretty fast – usually by April we’re fully booked for the whole summer,” she said.