It’s not every day that the UConn community gets a new spot to eat. There are around 20 restaurants in the downtown area, even though it can often feel like there are a lot fewer due to preference or taste. In 2023 there were a handful of new additions to the existing set, one being Haven Hot Chicken.
The Storrs location opened in November 2023 and is the chain’s fifth restaurant since starting in New Haven, Conn. in 2020. The decision to bring the fast-growing restaurant to UConn shouldn’t be a surprise though; co-founders Rob LaTronica (’10) and Craig Sklar (’08), are both Husky Alums.
They likely wanted to share their vision of Nashville Hot Chicken in the Nutmeg state and their former stomping grounds, but it isn’t the first fried chicken spot in Storrs. Jefferson Fry, which opened in 2022, specializes in interesting and uniquely-topped french fries, fried chicken and burgers. It has a signature “Husky Hot Chicken” sandwich, which seems to directly compete with Haven’s offerings. As I’ll discuss, Haven is better.
Assessing Haven Hot Chicken
There’s no perfect way to rate a restaurant, but I’ll try to give it a shot. I have five categories and each will get a rating out of a maximum of five Maple Leaves. Five is the best. The categories are service and presentation, atmosphere, taste, variety and price. Taste will be worth twice as many points as it is the most important factor, so the final score will be out of 30.
Service and Presentation
As a quick-serve type of place, it’s important to set expectations in this category. I’m not envisioning excellent service. I’m not going to expect presentation that blows anyone’s mind. The service was solid, but there’s often only one or two registers open, so it can take a while to order. Over the three times I went, the fastest I was served (from entering to having food in my hands) was in 10 minutes, but it took around 25 the first time.
Twenty-five minutes isn’t amazing given the concept of a quick-serve, but it’s not long enough to deter me from going. Just make sure to give yourself enough time when you go. The presentation is virtually the same for takeout and eat-in. They serve it to you in a takeout box, on a tray with some napkins and utensils as opposed to in a bag.
I’ll give it a pretty average rating here, since it doesn’t stick out in a terribly positive or negative way. 🍁🍁🍁
Atmosphere
The atmosphere isn’t anything to write home about. As noted with the presentation, you can’t expect too much from a quick-serve spot. The music is often pretty loud, which isn’t positive or negative. Haven doesn’t differentiate itself from any other quick-serve places on campus, but it does have a very nice mural by the seating area. This isn’t an art review, but the mural with fries and chicken among significant landmarks of the Storrs campus is a nice view as you eat. That leaves another average rating, doing what it’s supposed to do and not much more. 🍁🍁🍁
Taste
The taste is really where Haven Hot Chicken excels. In my three visits, I’ve had “The Sandwich Combo” twice and the “Tendie Trio Combo” once. I’ve gotten the tenders and sandwich once in the “Hot” (4/5) spice level and the other sandwich at “Medium” (3/5). It’s pretty rare that you get legitimate spicy food in Storrs, so I wasn’t expecting much when I ordered the “Hot” sandwich. I was blown away with the level of flavor and heat it delivered. As someone who eats authentic NYC spicy food, the sandwich was on the upper end of my comfortable heat spectrum, but really caught me off guard. There’s no other place (that I’ve found at least) on campus that boasts a legitimate spicy dish — and it wasn’t even their spiciest offering.
Apart from their spice, which is definitely higher than that of Chick-fil-A or Popeyes (neither of which are in Storrs, but are fair comparators), it’s a great sandwich. The texture on the outside is the desired crispiness and the chicken meat is also perfect. The Martin’s Potato Roll is solid, but not outstanding. Toasting it for a crispier bite would be a nice touch, but the sandwich doesn’t suffer too much. The “Rob Sauce” (a cousin of spicy mayo) that serves a similar purpose to the Chick-fil-A sauce is also great, but doesn’t distinguish itself from its competitors.
The tenders were of similar quality. Their crispiness was phenomenal and the Rob Sauce was more of a star than it had been in the sandwich, provided as a dipping sauce. Without additional cost, you only get one small sauce cup of Rob Sauce though, which is far from enough to sustain the amount of chicken they give you.
The final part I’ll touch on are the french fries. The primary add-on as a part of the combo, the fries are as good as any in the area. No, they aren’t the best I’ve ever had, but they’re crisp on the outside with a fluffy interior. It does well to compliment the chicken. Overall, there’s not too much more one could ask for in the taste department. As the part that stands out most in the meal, Haven gets an exceptional taste score. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁
Variety
Variety is a peculiar category, mainly because there’s a fine line to walk. Restaurants need to provide a balance of specialty and variety, which is not easy. Some restaurants have so many items that it’s difficult to know what will be good or bad. Others have a few great ones, but it’s easy to get sick of them. Although I’ve only had two of Haven’s offerings, the menu seems to do a nice job with their variety. Their “Sweet Heat Mac Bowl” and “Chicken and Waffles” are less run-of-the-mill options, which is a positive on paper. I’d want to try them, but on the surface, it seems like there is a solid blend of quantity and quality. 🍁🍁🍁🍁
Price
Lastly, price is the area where Haven does the least well in. The portions are solid, but I can easily finish a combo meal in one sitting. College students are known for their frugal spending habits, so $20 (after tax) for a signature combo meal feels like a lot. Meals under $15 aren’t difficult to come by in Storrs and the quality of the food here doesn’t warrant the raised prices. Pricing strategies are always interesting in markets like these, where the target customers are low-income. It may be wiser to make their traditional items a bit less pricey, but we’ll see how their popularity evolves as the initial novelty wears off.
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The bottom line
Overall, Haven Hot Chicken is a solid new spot on campus. Their food is great. I’m not convinced there’s a better bite on campus, but they lack in the other areas. Their prices are high for what they’re providing both in the food department and the general ambiance. For $20 per person, I’d prefer better presentation, more involved service and a more holistic experience than you’d find at a quick-serve spot. I’ll definitely be going back, but not as frequently as if they had a better price point.
OVERALL: 21/30 🍁