But the 5,000-square-foot and larger locations like those in Little Italy and Encinitas will not be replicated in the future.

Rosen calls the existing Crack Shack locations “experiential” venues, where families and friends can gather and small children can wander and play. We planted our flag on using ingredients that are of far higher quality than other chicken restaurants.” It’s a chicken concept that is not Southern-fried, but more Southern Californian, with some fresh salads and not grits and gravy. “I think that as we look at what the consumer cares about - ingredients - there is a market for the Crack Shack outside Southern California. “We don’t really have any competitors,” he said. That has helped the company stand out from the other fried chicken chains and the up-and-coming Nashville-style hot chicken outlets, which Rosen said he sees as more of a menu option than the basis for an entire restaurant. It sells only free-range Jidori chicken raised on small farms in California, which are the centerpiece in bone-in dinner plates, sandwiches and salad entrees. Rosen said Crack Shack is unique in the fried chicken category. The executive chef at Juniper and Ivy is Anthony Wells and the Crack Shack team includes culinary director Jon Sloan, director of operations Dan Pena and marketing director Nicole Rogers. Eighteen months later, they opened the first Crack Shack location next door. In March 2014, he and chef Richard Blais launched the 250-seat fine-dining eatery Juniper and Ivy at 2228 Kettner Boulevard. Crack Shack was the second restaurant venture for Rosen, a San Diego private equity investor and restaurant aficionado.

The crack shack costa mesa calif