Roosty’s Chicken & Shakes to open drive-thru location in Ottawa

Roosty’s Chicken & Shakes, a relatively new fast-casual restaurant, is set to open a new drive-thru location at 2749 Columbus St. in Ottawa, the former site of a Dunkin’ Donuts.

The Ottawa City Council approved the drive-thru during its meeting Tuesday night following the plan commission’s recommendation from last week.

Roosty’s opened its first location in Minooka earlier this year. The restaurant serves a variety of chicken sandwiches, wings, fries and milkshakes.

Kerem Kok, who spoke to the commission last week on behalf of Roosty’s, said developers found the property to be a good fit for the brand’s expansion.

Kok told the commission that the Ottawa location will not see any physical changes to the building or landscaping, as the site already was developed for commercial use.

Kok said the drive-thru is expected to operate efficiently, with most orders completed within two to five minutes.

He noted that while the Minooka location is dine-in only, the Ottawa location will be optimized for drive-thru service to avoid traffic backups.

Kok said he also plans to reserve two or three parking spaces in front of the business as “holding spots” in case of large or delayed orders, allowing the drive-thru line to keep moving smoothly.

An opening date for the incoming restaurant has not yet been announced.