Nope, the ‘nasty’ bathrooms on Belle Isle aren’t moonlighting as a fried chicken joint
The Chicken Coupe is serving hot tenders, not urinal cakes, despite viral social media posts
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Some rumors just don’t hold water. Or, in this case, chicken grease.
The Chicken Coupe, a beloved fried chicken joint that’s been serving crispy goodness from a food truck on Belle Isle since 2018, recently moved into the park’s old concession stand. The transition should’ve been business as usual. But then the internet did what the internet does best.
A flurry of social media posts falsely claimed that the Chicken Coupe had set up shop inside Belle Isle’s notoriously stinky public bathrooms. Videos flooded Instagram and TikTok, warning patrons of alleged health code violations and even suggesting the Chicken Coupe was slinging chicken in a restroom stall.
“I want to warn all my new friends that be hanging out on Belle Isle: Baby, don’t you eat this chicken, baby,” comedian @iamtbarb proclaimed on Instagram. “I know it’s a health code violation. The bathroom used to be nasty, and now we’re frying chicken and french fries. Baby, I would never trust it.”
The internet dubbed the restaurant the “Chicken Poop.”
But here’s the real scoop: The Chicken Coupe is operating out of the park’s old concession stand, which is a completely separate building, although it shares an awning with the restrooms. The bathrooms are next door and have been significantly cleaner since the Michigan Department of Natural Resources took over park maintenance in 2014.
“The reality is, the DNR really keeps up on those bathrooms,” Sam Ali, owner of the Chicken Coupe, tells Metro Times. “They do a phenomenal job.”
Ali isn’t mad about the flap. In fact, he’s thrilled. The false claims have given his business thousands of new social media followers and a surge in curious customers.
“The internet can be funny,” Ali said. “But they are doing us a favor. All publicity is good publicity.”
The Chicken Coupe responded to the falsehoods by posting a funny, light-hearted video on social media showing someone looking for the bathrooms, only to find delicious food.
The Chicken Coupe is known for its juicy chicken tenders, along with other menu items like the World-Famous Chicken Tender Basket and the over-the-top Peace, Love, & Loaded Fries — a mountain of fries smothered in melted cheese, topped with chopped tenders and your choice of sauce. Feeling fancy? Try the Mama’s Chicken & Waffles, pairing crispy tenders with a hot Belgian waffle, or the Papa’s Coupe Sliders, loaded with Firebird sauce and pickles.
There’s also the Groovy Deep-Fried Brussels Sprouts, or if you’re feeling bold, the Firebird Mac-Stack — a bowl of mac and cheese stacked high with crispy chicken and slathered in Firebird sauce.
The air around the Chicken Coupe smells more like sizzling tenders than questionable plumbing.
“I was just there, and I gotta tell you it smelled good,” one person said on Instagram. “And I’ve seen a bunch of people eating it. I would’ve tried it if I didn’t have a picnic basket already with me.”
Ali’s got big plans for the location too. He’s adding lighting, outdoor seating, and landscaping to make the spot even more inviting. Soon, JJ’s Custard Co. will join the space, serving up sweet treats.
“This is going to become very big food news in the city,” Ali says. “Now all of the sudden we’re trending, and the timing is perfect.”
So, rest assured, Detroit: the Chicken Coupe is serving up hot, crispy chicken — not urinal cake nuggets.
The Chicken Coupe is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week and hopes to extend its season to year-round.
