Field Failing founded Field’s Good Kitchen in 2014 as a way to provide healthy and filling food at the speed of a quick-service restaurant. An athlete himself, he wanted to ensure the meal had oritein and nutrition at a reasonable price.

As the brand expanded to its current six units across the New York metropolitan area, business shifted. Many locations were in office hubs in Manhattan, benefitting from the lunch rush and catering of large gatherings at the many high-rises dotting the skyline.

Coronavirus hit that booming business and halted Field’s Good Chicken in its tracks. The emerging brand was forced to close all locations and it’s growing catering business, but that didn’t stop the team from thinking.

“At the end of the day, people need to eat, and the population in the United States is growing. So, I think it’s safe to say there will be growth in the restaurant space over the next 2-3 years…restaurants will grow, and the show will go on,” said Failing.

Beginning with family packs (Failing and his wife actually had their second child in the early weeks of the pandemic), the business soon pivoted to selling whole chickens with sides in the style of supermarkets to feed the entire family.

And while rent on six NYC restaurants is a lot, it doesn’t seem like it will be the case for much longer as Fields is looking to expand into ghost kitchens.

But the pandemic has brought out a side of the industry that he’s grateful for. “It’s been cool to see the heart and the soul of the industry come out. It’s a gritty, gutsy industry and it’s a gritty, gutsy group of people, which is part of why I fell in love with it in the first place, and it is definitely showing that right now,” said Failing.

Listen to how this emerging chain in a large market has managed to survive and develop plans for the future all while staying optimistic about the industry.