Jake Harper
Holy Chicken is a restaurant featured in the 2017 documentary film Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! by Morgan Spurlock. The film is a sequel to the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, which highlighted the negative effects of eating fast food. Holy Chicken was a pop-up restaurant in New York City and Columbus, Ohio, that served as an experiment to expose the deceptive marketing tactics used by the fast-food industry to portray their products as healthier options. While Holy Chicken may not be a permanent fixture, it sparked important conversations about the reality of healthier fast-food options.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Holy Chicken restaurants in America | 2 (Columbus, Ohio) and New York City |
| Nature of the restaurants | Pop-up |
| Duration of the pop-up | 4 days (New York City); 12 days (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Film associated with the pop-up | Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! |
| Filmmaker/restaurateur | Morgan Spurlock |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Holy Chicken's pop-up restaurant in New York City
Holy Chicken, a pop-up restaurant in New York City, was opened by Morgan Spurlock on September 11, 2019, to celebrate the release of his documentary film, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! The film is a sequel to the 2004 documentary Super Size Me and explores the ways in which the fast-food industry has rebranded itself as healthier since the original film's release. Spurlock does this by opening his own fast-food chicken restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, and the film follows his journey from raising poultry and creating recipes to designing a brand and scouting locations.
The Holy Chicken pop-up restaurant served as an extension of the film, allowing Spurlock to draw back the curtain on the fast-food industry and reveal how key words, colors, signs, and photos are used to make consumers feel better about what they are eating. The pop-up was located at 18 West 23rd Street and was open to the public from September 11 to September 22, 2019, serving Spurlock's chicken fare daily from 11 am to 5 pm. The menu included free-range, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free chicken raised by Coleman Natural, a former independent chicken grower. The star of the menu was The Original Grilled Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which came in Regular or Spicy options and was served with unlimited ranch, mustard, and spicy mayo sauce.
The pop-up also featured guests who appeared in the film, including Jonathan and Zack Buttram, two Alabama chicken farmers who were blackballed by BIG CHICKEN from raising birds for any company, and Charles Morris, a Kentucky-based chicken farmer engaged in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Tyson Foods. The official mascot of Holy Chicken, a chicken sandwich, was also present.
Reviews of the pop-up restaurant on Yelp were mixed, with some praising the chicken sandwich and others commenting on the crazy antics of the chicken mascot. Overall, the Holy Chicken pop-up restaurant in New York City served as a unique and immersive promotional experience for Spurlock's film, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!, providing an honest and transparent look at the fast-food industry.
Chicken Wraps: Fast Food's Favorite Menu Item?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Holy Chicken's limited-time pop-up in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1812 and named after Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, is a city steeped in history and culture. From its early days as a center for indigenous Mound Builder cultures to its present-day status as a thriving metropolis, Columbus has undergone a remarkable transformation. The city has been lauded as a top culinary destination in the United States, and it is within this vibrant food scene that Holy Chickens makes its limited-time appearance.
Holy Chickens, a brainchild of Morgan Spurlock, is more than just a restaurant; it is an immersive exploration of the fast-food industry. Spurlock, the filmmaker behind the documentary "Super Size Me" and its sequel, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!," brings his investigative lens to the world of fast-food chicken. The pop-up restaurant in Columbus is a manifestation of his journey into understanding the industry's inner workings and its rebranding as a healthier alternative.
Located in the heart of Columbus, Holy Chickens invites patrons to embark on a culinary adventure. The menu features free-range, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free chicken sourced from Coleman Natural, a former independent chicken grower. Holy Chickens prides itself on serving up delicious fare while pulling back the curtain on the fast-food industry. Patrons will discover how key words, colors, signs, and photos are strategically used to influence their dining choices.
Holy Chickens is more than a culinary experience; it is an educational journey. The restaurant serves as a platform to raise awareness about the realities of the fast-food industry. In the United States, the majority of chickens are factory-farmed, and consumers are often unaware of the true nature of their food. Holy Chickens encourages patrons to indulge in their crispy chicken sandwiches while also reflecting on the impact of their food choices.
Columbus, Ohio, with its diverse culinary landscape, provides the perfect backdrop for Holy Chickens' limited-time pop-up. The city's vibrant food scene, cultural institutions, and historical significance create a unique context for this immersive dining experience. Holy Chickens, through its transparency and honesty, offers patrons a chance to enjoy delicious chicken fare while also gaining a behind-the-scenes perspective on the fast-food industry.
Measuring Chicken Stock: Cups in 32 Ounces
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Holy Chicken's purpose and message
Holy Chicken is not a real restaurant, but a four-day pop-up created by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock to accompany his 2017 film "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!". The film is a sequel to Spurlock's 2004 documentary "Super Size Me", which criticised fast-food giants like McDonald's for their unhealthy menus and practices.
Spurlock's intention with the Holy Chicken pop-up was to expose the deceptive marketing tactics used by fast-food companies to rebrand themselves as healthier. In the film, Spurlock sets out to open his own chicken franchise, and the pop-up restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, brings this to life.
The Holy Chicken pop-up served as a real-world example of how the fast-food industry uses keywords, colours, signs, and photos to make customers feel better about their food choices. For instance, the brown paper takeaway bags stated: "Studies have shown that these simple bags make customers more likely to believe that fast food is healthy, artisanal, and good for the environment — even though it’s none of those things." Similarly, the menu featured items like "Crunchy Greens", which turned out to be deep-fried green beans.
Through the Holy Chicken pop-up and the film, Spurlock wanted to convey the message that "healthier" chicken restaurants are often not actually healthier, but the marketing makes them seem that way. He also wanted to highlight the impact of the industry's decisions and practices on farmers and consumers. Ultimately, Holy Chicken is a creative and immersive way to deliver an important message about the fast-food industry and its impact on people and society.
Winning Style Wars: Army Chick Edition
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Holy Chicken's menu
Holy Chicken is a restaurant that was opened by Morgan Spurlock, the director of the documentary "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!". The documentary explores the ways in which the fast-food industry has rebranded itself as healthier. The restaurant was opened as a part of the documentary to expose the reality behind the rebranding.
The Holy Chicken menu features free-range, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free chicken. The chicken is sourced from Coleman Natural, a former independent chicken grower now owned by Purdue Farms. The menu item that seems to be the most popular is the Original Grilled Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which comes in Regular or Spicy. The sandwich consists of maple-glazed fried chicken breast, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar, Sriracha mayo, and a sunny-side-up egg, served between waffles. This item was initially only available for a limited time, but due to high demand, it became a permanent menu item and is now one of the top sellers.
Holy Chicken also serves The Original Grilled Crispy Chicken Sandwich as a regular sandwich, without the waffles. In addition to the chicken sandwich, Holy Chicken also offers a variety of other dishes. The exact items are not known, but they are prepared with carefully sourced ingredients and an artisan's touch. The restaurant also serves beef dishes, which adhere to the same strict halal standards as their chicken.
The Holy Chicken restaurant is committed to transparency and honesty, proudly serving the most-eaten animal on the planet—chicken. They also provide educational information to their customers, such as the fact that over 50 billion chickens are consumed annually and that most chickens in the US are factory-farmed. Holy Chicken encourages customers to consume their food in moderation, in line with recommendations from doctors and nutritionists.
Stove-Top Chicken: Boiling Water Method
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![[100 COUNT]Sugarfiber by Harvest Pack 22 oz PFAS FREE Disposable Food Trays, Disposable Food Container Bagasse Serving Trays, Rectangle, Made from Sugarcane Eco-Friendly Plant Fibers, No Lids included](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71VbEEJa30L._AC_UL320_.jpg)
Holy Chicken's documentary film, *Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!*
Holy Chickens is a documentary film released in 2017, though it was shelved for two years until 2019 following the director's admission of sexual harassment. It is a sequel to the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, which detailed the negative health effects of eating fast food from the McDonald's chain for a month.
In Holy Chickens, director Morgan Spurlock attempts to expose the monopolistic and dishonest practices of the chicken industry, as well as the fast-food industry as a whole. Spurlock sets out to open his own chicken-themed fast-food franchise, with the goal of being completely transparent about its ingredients and marketing tactics. He names his restaurant "Holy Chicken", a clear reference to Chick Fil-A, a popular chicken sandwich restaurant chain linked to anti-LGBT causes.
Spurlock's agricultural experiment is called "Morganic Farms". He learns that the chicken industry is dominated by large corporate entities with powerful lobbyists protecting their interests. He encounters resistance when trying to set up his farm and is ultimately bailed out by the largest independent hatchery, which supplies him with over 2,000 broiler chickens. These chickens are bred to grow larger and faster than their feathers can cover.
The film also highlights the industry's exploitation of poor and oppressed farmers, as well as the corporate duplicity surrounding the labelling of chicken products as "free-range" or "hormone-injected". Spurlock intends to expose the ways in which the fast-food industry has rebranded itself as healthier since his original film, showing that this rebranding is often more perception than reality.
The film received an approval rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.17/10. It was also second runner-up for the People's Choice Award for Documentaries at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Breaded Chicken: With Skin or Without?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
There is only one Holy Chicken restaurant in America. It was opened in New York City in 2019 as a pop-up restaurant.
Holy Chicken is not a real restaurant in the sense that it was opened as a pop-up restaurant for a limited time. It was opened by Morgan Spurlock to accompany the release of his documentary film "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!".
Holy Chicken aims to expose the marketing tactics used by the fast-food industry to rebrand itself as healthier. The restaurant serves as a case study for the film, showing how keywords, colors, signs, and photos are used to make customers feel better about their food choices.
"Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!" is a documentary film directed by Morgan Spurlock, the founder of Holy Chicken. The film explores the ways in which the fast-food industry has rebranded itself as healthier. The process of Spurlock opening Holy Chicken is featured in the film, highlighting the disconnect between perception and reality in the industry.
