Photo by Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
Ask Rishi, Hotplate's co-founder, about the craziest drop he's ever seen, and chances are he’ll tell you about Chicken's Kitchen.
On November 4th, 2023, Chef Marlon "Chicken" Chukumerije Williams opened Thanksgiving orders on Hotplate. Thirteen minutes later, he was sold out: over 300 orders, 1,900 items, and more than $70,000 of soul food.
You don't have to stick to pies and cookies to have a big holiday season. Here's the story of Chicken’s Kitchen, the chef behind it, and how he set his drop up.
Meet Chef Marlon
Marlon is a self-taught chef. He learned to cook from his mother and grandmother, and before Chicken's Kitchen, his only restaurant experience was working at Raising Cane's, KFC and Taco Bell.
During the pandemic, he started a home-based drive-thru, took orders through Instagram and Facebook, and catered out of his home. His food went viral, and in September 2020, he opened Chicken's Kitchen in Gretna, just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.
The menu people line up for
Chicken's Kitchen runs cafeteria-style, with plate lunches built around a daily protein special and heaping piles of sides. Regulars come back for the braised oxtail, fried ribs, stuffed catfish, five-star mac and cheese, candied yams, smothered okra, stir-fried cabbage, black-eyed peas, honey cornbread, and the fried chicken, of course.
Community first
Marlon's community shows up for him because his food is delicious. And because he shows up for them. In the summer of 2025, Chicken's Kitchen served close to 8,000 of free breakfasts and lunches to kids.
Marlon in the press
James Beard: Marlon was named a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: South.
The New York Times: Chicken's Kitchen made The New York Times' list of 50 favorite restaurants in 2022.
On Our Way: Can't make it to NOLA? Watch the season opener of Noël Burgess's On Our Way, where James Beard Award winner Chef Serigne Mbaye of Dakar NOLA takes Burgess to his favorite spot in the city, Chicken's Kitchen.
The Thanksgiving drop
Every year, Marlon's community wants Chicken's Kitchen on their Thanksgiving table. In 2023, he put his holiday catering on Hotplate. Here's how the drop went:
300+ orders
1,900+ items
$70,000+ in sales
Sold out in 13 minutes
How he set it up
Marlon didn't need a complicated system. He needed one link and a way to keep the rush under control.
He set up a Hotplate storefront for his catering preorders and put the link in his Instagram bio.
He invited his community to subscribe. Anyone who wanted his food for Thanksgiving could sign up to hear when orders opened.
He set inventory limits for each item, so he never sold more than his kitchen could make.
Everyone on his list got a text the moment orders opened.
Customers paid up front, so he knew exactly what to cook well in advance.
The result: instead of answering DMs and tracking orders by hand, Marlon could spend less time on logistics and more time doing what he does best, cooking for his community.
The next year, Marlon didn’t have to start from scratch. More than 1,000 customers who had ordered, or tried to, the previous Thanksgiving were already on his list when preorders opened.
What you can take from it
Not every drop will look like Marlon's, and it doesn't have to. But the way he set it up works at any size:
Start where you are. Marlon started at home during the pandemic, with no restaurant and no fancy system.
Build your list before the holidays. The people who subscribe now are the ones who get the text when your Thanksgiving orders open.
Schedule your drop well in advance. Don’t wait until Thanksgiving week. Marlon opened orders on November 4th, giving him plenty of time to plan, shop, and prep ahead of pickups.
Make your drop a moment. Marlon put his storefront link in his Instagram bio, then brought his followers along as the orders came in.
When he got his first order, he posted it and told the customer her order was free.
Next, he shared a screen recording of order notifications streaming in: "Mannnnnnnnnnnn look at this!!! … And it's still rolling!!"
Then he announced he'd sold out. Each post gave his followers a reminder to go to hotplate.com/chickenskitchen, urgency to place their order, and a reason to subscribe for next time.
Set your limits. Decide how much you can make, and let Hotplate close orders when you hit it.
Cook what you're known for. It doesn’t have to be apple pie and parker house rolls, or match everyone else’s Thanksgiving table. Lean into what you do well.
Looking for more chefs going beyond the classics? Coming soon: what chefs are selling beyond pies
Bring your holiday menu to your community
Whatever you're known for, the holidays are the time to share it. Set up your drop, open orders, and let Hotplate handle the rest.
