Bucks bring new chicken to-go restaurant to Deer District

A new restaurant concept by the Milwaukee Bucks is now serving up scratch-made chicken tenders to-go from the Deer District in downtown Milwaukee.

Cream City Cluckery officially opened Wednesday, according to the Bucks. 

The carryout- and- delivery-only business doesn’t have its own storefront. Instead, food is prepared inside Fiserv Forum and brought out to a pick-up point on the south side of the arena’s adjacent public plaza. Customers are instructed to call when they arrive. 

Fiserv Forum has been virtually lifeless since mid-March thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended the NBA season and has prevented large concerts and events from taking place.

“We are excited to offer made-from-scratch chicken tenders to the local area in a convenient way,” said Kenneth Hardiman, senior executive chef at Fiserv Forum. 

Hardiman is behind Cream City Cluckery’s recipes, which use “100% premium, locally-sourced ingredients” like local honey and Milwaukee-made beer. 

While Cream City Cluckery specializes in crispy chicken tenders and house-made sauces, the menu includes mac and cheese, honey butter biscuits and ‘Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.’ There’s also a family-sized meal special for $35, with 20 chicken tenders and sauce, a side of tater tots, cake and a two-liter soda. 

The Bucks said a portion of the proceeds from each ‘Ooey Gooey Butter Cake’ sale will be donated to the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation. 

Orders for pickup and delivery can be made Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Delivery is available through GrubHub, DoorDash and Uber Eats, while pickup orders can be made through Cream City Cluckery’s website or by phone. 

The Bucks last month reopened its two Deer District concepts, The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill and The Beer Garden after temporary closures due to COVID-19. 

Both establishments have implemented multiple new health and safety measures, in addition to new menus, contactless payment options, expanded indoor and outdoor dining space, and curbside pickup.