Kay's Kitchen BEARSS

Fast food restaurant in Tampa, FL

Address

2808 E Bearss Ave, Tampa, FL, 33613

Phone

(813) 893-0415

Website

kayschickenkitchen.com

About Kay's Kitchen BEARSS

Chicago-style fried chicken and fish served with the restaurant's own Chicago mild sauce, a tangy-sweet condiment used in place of ketchup. The menu covers whole wings by the bucket, jumbo drums and flats, tenders, seafood, sandwiches, kids meals and sides like mac and cheese, all made fresh to order with a choice of lite, regular or extra seasoning. The Bearss Ave location is the full-service restaurant with dine-in and late-night hours running past midnight, while the Causeway Blvd spot is a card-only takeout satellite. Catering covers party platters, corporate lunches, family gatherings and custom menus, and orders can be placed through DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub and Postmates.

Owner and founder Ms. Kay Lee left a corporate job as an insurance coordinator with no food service experience and a recipe from Chicago's South Side, opening a small red food trailer in 2017. She moved through a food truck, a pickup window on 34th and Osborne, and a 2,200 square foot restaurant on 30th Street near Busch Gardens in 2019, adding a walk-up window during COVID rather than closing. After chicken prices tripled she returned to a food truck, then settled at Causeway Blvd in March 2023 and opened a Ruskin truck in 2024 that was flooded by Hurricane Helene. The Bearss Ave full-service restaurant followed, built for customers driving in from Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and across the Bay. The business describes itself as Black-owned and woman-owned, and has been recognized by EatOkra and Black Restaurant Weeks.

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