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Chicken wins as Jake’s Sandwich Board to give way to Hatch & Coop

What came first: the chicken or the egg? In this case, the chicken.

Buttermilk honey fried chicken on a warm, buttered King's Hawaiian roll at Hatch & Coop.
Buttermilk honey fried chicken on a warm, buttered King's Hawaiian roll at Hatch & Coop. Read moreHATCH & COOP

Jake's Sandwich Board's eight-year run on 12th Street near Sansom will come to an end at 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 20 as management rebrands the beef-and-pork-focused shop into Hatch & Coop, a chicken specialist.

Hatch & Coop is expected to open Monday, June 25, explains managing partner Gary Dorfman.

The move makes sense for several reasons, he says.

Hatch & Coop premiered last December at a former Jake's branch at 125 S. 40th St. in University City. Business was good. The Penn community grooved on the fried chicken sandwiches served on King's Hawaiian buns.

But the "hatch" part of the concept did not fly. Egg sandwiches could not be added to the menu because of its lease, which gives the neighboring Dunkin Donuts an eggsclusivity on huevos. Dorfman recently closed that location.

Dorfman said the revived Hatch & Coop, at 122 S. 12th St., will open at 7 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. weekends with assorted egg sandwiches and coffee. (What kind of coffee? Dorfman says he can't say because the Starbucks in the same building at 12th and Walnut Streets has a provision in its lease to be the only tenant to advertise branded coffee. Sigh.)

Another reason is labor. The menu is easier to execute.

The third reason is profit. Dorfman and his investors determined that the poultry-based menu has a better bottom line than one centered on roasted meats. Jake's has won all sorts of accolades; if you haven't been, try the brisket now.

Also on the new menu will be chicken sandwiches, a fried eggplant sandwich, fried pickles, and a vanilla ice cream sandwich that is rolled in Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and drizzled with warm caramel on a grilled bun that's topped with so much cinnamon and sugar, it's probably technically a doughnut.

The location in Washington Square West will put Hatch & Coop in a game of chicken against Wishbone (210 S. 13th St.), a forthcoming Shake Shack, coming to 12th and Chestnut Streets later this year, and a future Federal Donuts due to open in 2019 up the street at 19 S. 12th St.

This post has been updated.