BELLE ISLE, Mich. - What do you get when you mix crispy chicken, social media buzz, and a public bathroom? A viral business model, apparently.
The Chicken Coupe, once a food truck in Detroit for about seven years, has taken over the former Belle Isle bathroom facility and has sparked a storm of opinions in the process. But for owner Sam Ali, the online chirping has only fueled his business and his passion for Detroit and good food.
"The Chicken Coupe was always here," Ali said, describing some of his favorite dishes, like "Mama's chicken and waffles and Firebird Mac Stack."
But Memorial Day weekend marked a major marketing opportunity for Ali and the Coupe, which has another location in Dearborn. After it became a permanent fixture on Belle Isle, not everyone appeared to be on board with the new digs.
The idea of eating near -- or in -- a space associated with toilets has left some squeamish.
Some comments include, "That's the toilet," or, "Pee pee wings."
"If you smell somebody taking a dump, you're just going to lose your appetite," one visitor told Local 4 on Friday afternoon.
"I don't wanna smell anything while I'm trying to eat," said another. "I'm just gonna lose my appetite."
"You don't have to eat it in the bathroom -- in the stall, though," we pointed out.
"What if I still smell it? Some people stink," they said.
Comments like these have flooded social media. But Ali isn't bothered. In fact, he's amused.
The Chicken Coupe team leaned in with a viral response video, making fun of themselves, showing one of their employees running up to the Chicken Coupe desperately trying to find a bathroom.
"Who doesn't love a good clap back right?" we asked.
"This is Detroit," Ali said. "This is what we do. We love the community out here. I'm a Detroit native myself, and I was coming out here for years as a child with my grandfather. I wish he was still around to see it all."
The response now? Business is booming.
"I find it very practical," said one visitor.
"What if you're eating and you're drinking a soda or something and you randomly have to use the bathroom?" said another. "Useful!"
Ali said he has been given permission to revamp the bathrooms and even joked about clapping back to some of the negative feedback with more videos and even menu items.
"I was also thinking about maybe putting a menu item on there called 'bathroom chicken' for you guys," he said.
The Chicken Coupe isn't flushing its momentum anytime soon. Ali plans to open two more locations this summer: a drive-through in Highland Park and a sit-down restaurant in Chicago. And yes -- both will have bathrooms.