The fried chicken is back: Parlour owners are reviving Revival

Local restaurant group Jester Concepts has purchased the fried chicken restaurant brand Revival, and they’re bringing it back, starting this weekend.

The sudden closure of all four Revival locations after nearly a decade of Southern-styled comfort food shocked the local restaurant world. Now, the group that owns Parlour is reviving the concept. The Revival food truck will debut under its new owner on Saturday at Wooden Ship Brewing in Minneapolis and on Sunday at Steel Toe Brewing in St. Louis Park. The truck will run a limited menu, but there will be fried chicken.

Shortly after January’s announcement that Revival had closed, Jester Concepts co-owner Brent Frederick met with his longtime friends, Revival owners Thomas Boemer and Nick Rancone, with an offer to buy all of Revival’s intellectual properties: the name, recipes, websites, social media handles and food truck.

“When that restaurant first opened, I loved it,” Frederick told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Monday. He’s known Boemer and Rancone for years and worked with Rancone in the early days of their hospitality careers. “We all want to support each other. They allowed me to sit down with them right away.”

Revival opened in 2015 as a casual restaurant fueled by the signature southern-fried dish. The restaurant was an immediate hit with lines out the door for the limited seats. Fine-dining chef Boemer drew on his Southern-steeped childhood to craft the recipes, while Rancone’s hospitality set a new fast-casual standard. The duo eventually opened several locations, closed the original site, and worked to evolve the menu. After changes in concept amid efforts to keep the business afloat didn’t catch on, Revival officially closed on Jan. 20.

Boemer and Rancone will serve as consultants for the new Revival era. (Boemer also was just named culinary director for the suburban restaurant group Wondrous Collective.) Jester is actively scouting for a location that will bring back the vibe and energy of the original south Minneapolis Revival.

All this news comes on the heels of a big year of expansion for Jester Concepts. The company just opened the dumpling and ramen shop Shiki in Excelsior and an expansive patio with its own menu at Butcher and the Boar in the North Loop. Up next will come Mirabelle, also in Excelsior, with Midwestern modern fare.

The company also owns several locations of Parlour, including food trucks and stadium concession stands with that burger-famous brand, as well as P.S. Steak, Rustica bakeries and Starling.

“We’re definitely stacking some projects, but it’s not anything our corporate team can’t handle,” Frederick said. But he is primed for the expansion.

“I care about this community. These are my friends. These are my people,” he said. “Restaurants don’t make a ton of money. But we’re always trying to add good people and make sure our people have benefits. We now have 400-plus people making a living. That feels good.”

Revival’s closure left a lot of people out of work. Frederick said because food truck staffing is limited, they haven’t reached out to any former Revival staff for employment opportunities, but he says he hopes those interested will apply.