The week of April 18 marked a dark and depressing time in Arlington High history, as the school suffered from a tragic loss of a restaurant that had (arguably) the best chicken sandwich around. That’s right, it is with a heavy heart that I report to you that after two years of serving our school with likely the best fries and custard known to man, Super Chix is permanently closed.

“I was shocked! It was so sudden and I was planning on going there Monday, which was the day I found out,” Morgan Phillips, sophomore and dedicated Super Chix enthusiast, said. “It made me sad because it’s the only chicken place around here that I actually like.”

The restaurant closed its doors for business last Friday, April 22, and left teachers and staff scratching their heads questioning why.

“It really just wasn’t working out,” Nick Ouimet, CEO and founder, said. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make. We tried for two years, but not enough people came.”

But the poor attendance certainly wasn’t due to a lack of quality food, as their menu was abundant with a variety of tasty options. Apparently, the issue lied within factors out of their control. One of those factors was the ongoing roadwork being done on the street in front of the establishment.

“The construction on Cooper was a major problem for us, because what it essentially did was just make it harder for our customers to access us,” Ouimet said. “Also, Arlington is basically a ghost town in the summer. Between the AHS and UTA students being out of class, there just really wasn’t anyone around.”

The restaurant closing forces students who crave a chicken fix to make a choice between Golden Chick, the longtime standard, or Chicken Express, currently under new management.

“I literally went to Super Chix basically every other day,” Shania Jackson, sophomore said. “Mostly because of their legendary and forever iconic rosemary fries and partly due to their tangy honey mustard sauce, so it upset me when they closed.”

Anyone disappointed in the company’s departure need not fret, as the owners plan on opening several new locations in the metroplex. Their Frisco restaurant is currently being built, and the up and coming location in Richardson will begin construction in June. For the more eager customer, they already have a location in Dallas.

“I wanted to say thanks to the students of Arlington High School. We really wish we could’ve made it work,” Ouimet said. “This was my first restaurant, so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. From hand-crafting the recipes to designing the restaurant, it really was a great experience with you guys. We hope to be back in Arlington within the next couple of years.”