Lenny’s Takeout, a popular Shediac restaurant, will be expanding with a second location opening in Moncton this summer. Jamie Dionne, the Shediac restaurant’s general manager, will also oversee operations at the new location. He says the decision to expand just makes sense.

“We feel it’s time. Shediac is a tourist town and our brand is good enough to take it to Moncton. Our product speaks for itself: we have really great food and customer service. We’re usually super busy four months of the year and are open year-round, which a lot of people don’t know, but only four days in the wintertime. We feel we’re ready for the second location.”

The business, which was originally called Target Fried Chicken, was created by Arnold Target in 1967. Dionne’s family purchased the property and chicken recipe in 2017 and renamed the restaurant. Despite Lenny’s Takeout being known for its fried chicken, the restaurant offers an extensive menu.

“We’re not just a chicken restaurant. Chicken is our brand, but we do a lot of other things. Our lobster rolls are very popular along with our clams, the menu is big.”

The exact address of the new Moncton location has yet to be made public but Dionne says it will be in the northern area of the city and will likely open mid-summer.

“We’re hoping the third week of July to be open. There will be a big grand opening promotion and we’re going to offer everyone who comes in a chance to win a three-piece fish and chip every week for a year. The goal is to go into Moncton with a bang.”

Customers can expect a similar atmosphere at the new location as to the one in Shediac, just on a larger scale.

“There will be over forty seats inside, so it’s a little different than in Shediac where we only have seven seats, and we are planning on getting a liquor license. We’ll also be selling Dippin’ Dots ice cream as we do in Shediac, which is a product that has really blown up this year.”

Dionne believes the Moncton addition will bring a new variety of food to the area and will be able to reach customers beyond the typical tourist crowd of the Shediac location.

“Deep fried smelts are a menu item we will be bringing to Moncton that I don’t believe any restaurants in the city have. There are not many seafood places in Moncton. There are good seafood places, but not like in your tourist towns- it’s a bit different.”

Cortney Ellis is a Huddle Today contributor and an Acadia Broadcasting content-sharing partner.