A New York City institution in the food scene has branched out to make chicken tenders your go-to meal.
Since its inception in 2015, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer has been known for its over-the-top shakes and vast burger menu. However, it wasn’t until the chain opened its Midtown location in November 2016 that it added a fried chicken sandwich to the menu.
“It was very, very popular. It was the number three or number four seller on our menu worldwide. It was a really simple chicken sandwich. People seem to really love our fried chicken,” said Stephen Parker, Corporate Chef for Black Tap.
Then, following the opening of Black Tap’s Herald Square location, chicken tenders were added to the menu and they were insanely popular with customers. All of the tenders were battered and made in-house, served alongside Black Tap’s house buttermilk dill, Korean BBQ, and lime honey mustard sauces.
After seeing the success that fried chicken had on their menus, Black Tap cofounders Chris Barish and Julie Mulligan, alongside Parker, took the plunge and started a new venture: Tender Crush.
Located in Soho (right next to Black Tap’s Soho store), Tender Crush is the Black Tap team’s take on chicken tenders. The eatery boasts a menu of “New York-style” fried chicken, with each dish inspired by different areas of New York City. Available crispy or grilled, Parker wanted to ensure that each dish was flavorful and gave a nod to the Big Apple and its unique flavors.
“It’s like our crush on chicken, our crush on tenders. I felt like there were so many brands doing [chicken tenders] and I just didn’t feel like there was a lot of love in it. I think people are kind of not really giving it the attention it needs,” said Parker.
Among the flavors available are Harlem Hot, Thai Queens, Jackson Heights Heat, K-Town Hot, 32nd St. BBQ, and BKLYN ‘Q, each paying their own homage to these areas of New York City.
“I thought about it and [Chris and Julie] wanted to take the inspirations from the different neighborhoods of New York, whether it’s Chinatown or Koreatown or Staten Island. They really wanted to make sauces and different mash-up flavors that bring in the different neighborhoods in New York,” said Parker.
Aside from your standard chicken tenders, Tender Crush also offers housemade chicken sandwiches, grilled chicken tenders, and a plethora of sides like their kale salad, waffle fries, truffle mac and cheese and broccolini, truly having something for everyone on the menu. Like Black Tap, Tender Crush doesn’t skimp on the dessert and drink options either, offering customers soft serve custard and a selection of boozy slushes that can also have custard added to them.
As the popularity of chicken tenders grows, Tender Crush is leaning into the niche that is being naturally carved out for the popular menu item has created for the fast-casual eater.
“It’s our generation being so fast and being so quick, you can get a piece of tenders and get some sauces, hang with your friends and share them. I think people are really into smash burgers and chicken tenders because it’s quick, it’s easy, you get your meal and move on with your day,” said Parker. “You’re not committing two hours to sit down in a restaurant, leave a tip, get drinks, get food and it could be this big drawn-out thing. Us New Yorkers are always on the move and moving fast. I think it’s super important to fill that niche.”
And to those who may think that chicken tenders are just picky eaters of the world, Parker says to just give it a chance.
“For the haters of the world, I think you have to give it a second, you have to give it a try,” said Parker. “You should have a tender with a special sauce and it might move you, it might change you.”
Tender Crush is located at 529 Broome St. For more information, visit tender-crush.com.
