It's almost impossible to set foot outside of our current restaurant, Ancho Honey, without running into someone who wants to talk about the April opening of Honey's Fried Chicken Palace in Thomaston, Maine, our newest chicken-centric sister restaurant.

We've overhauled almost every aspect of this neglected commercial space, to build the fried chicken palace of our dreams. However, we're coming up short at the finish line, and we need your help. There are a few items remaining on our "to-do" list, which are proving to be much more expensive than we had budgeted for. We're still on track for an early April opening, but we won't be able to get the doors open on schedule until we can complete these last few big projects:

Here are the final details we need to button up, in order of importance, and how much each of them are going to cost:

~~$6,000 to replace the fire supression system in our exhaust hood.~~ We were stunned to learn that the fire supression system for our 18 foot exhaust hood, required by the state fire marshall, is going to cost $6,000. This at least sort of explains why the previous tenants took it, when they moved out. This installation will be performed by Advanced Fire and Safety in Vassalboro. They are scheduled for the first week of March. DONE!

~~$3,000 to run new propane lines.~~ We've contracted with Maritime Energy to perform the installation of all of our spiffy new appliances, but this is going to be much more expensive than we had planned. The hoses alone for each of our three deep fryers (including a dedicated gluten-free fryer) cost about $300 each, and that doesn't include the new lines needed to pump a whopping 636,000 BTUs through our equipment. Maritime is also scheduled for the first week in March, if we can raise the money in time. DONE!

~~$2,500 for new signage.~~ We've paid for half of our new sigange, which includes a light up sign on the street, a wall-mounted logo near the door, and a giant billboard-sized sign with a big arrow pointing to our front door. There's still a $2500 balance due. This work will be performed by Adventure Advertising, who manufactured the signage at Ancho Honey. DONE!

$6,000 for new refrigerators and freezers. We've got a couple of under-counter coolers that we can use to get started if absolutely necessary, but we really need to solve our "food storage" problem. We've picked out a new 54" double door refrigerator and a 54" double door freezer...but we just need to place the order.

$2,000 for miscellaneous electrical work. There is a tiny bit of electrical work still be done, including connecting the new fire supression system, moving some exterior lighting, and installing some new high-voltage outlets.

We've been working hard for months to rehabilitate this space, and performed as much of the work ourselves as humanly possible (and that we're at least sort of qualified for). We've scoured auction sites for used equipment, and DIYed as many things as we possibly could, and saved money at every step. However, with the above final projects, we have to acknowledge that we're approximately $20,000 short of the finish line. We're trying to raise $25,000 in the next 30 days, to finish up these projects, buy some chicken, kick the tires, and light the fryers.

What is Honey's Fried Chicken Palace?

The brainchild of the mad scientists at Ancho Honey, Honey's takes that restaurant's legendary fried chicken sandwiches, and builds an entirely new restaurant around them, smack-dab in the center of one of our county's busiest intersections. Honey's will offer a much-needed "quick service" lunch and dinner option for residents of Thomaston, Rockland, the St. George Peninsula, and beyond.

What have we accomplished so far?

The transformation of the neglected old China Fortune space in Thomaston has already been profound. As we near the end of the "construction" phase of our remodel, take a look at a few "before and after" photos of the work we've completed so far. And of course, we'll have a full gallery of these photos once we're completely finished.

Guest Bathroom

Back Office/Storage Area

Guest Dining Room

What's in it for YOU?

Though our orginal investment campaign has come to an end, we still want to show our gratitude to anyone who believes in this project enough to support us with a "finish line goals" donation. That's why we've come up with a few "perks" for anyone who backs us at this point:

Contribute $100 or more: A Honey's sticker, suitable for framing (or sticking on a Subaru)
Contribute $500 or more: Your choice of a limited-edition Honey's t-shirt or embroidered baseball hat
Contribute $1,000 or more: A Honey's "Promoter Pack," including a t-shirt, hat, sticker, and $20 gift card
Contribute $1,500 or more: An invite to our "soft launch" event, tentatively scheduled for late March, where you'll be among the first to taste the new menu and see the new space

(Please note that perks do not "stack.")

But beyond whatever trinkets we could send you in the mail, you'll also have the satisfaction of knowing you helped launch a small business run by actual people, who are committed to their community and trying to add something positive to the town that we live, and encouraging the launch of new businesses that aren't more Dollar Trees or discounted tire stores.

In Conclusion

The overhaul and launch of Honey's Fried Chicken Palace wouldn't be possible without the continued faith and support of people just like you, and we can't thank you enough for your enthusiasm and your devotion to this idea.

One of the things I love most about fundraising within the community like this, is the way you get to sort of "take the temperature" of a new idea. Sure, as entrepreneurs, we tend to get a little overly enthusiastic about our ideas...but just because WE think they're going to be a hit, doesn't mean that the world outside is going to get on board.

In the case of Honey's Fried Chicken Palace, it feels like the mandate is in: You like this project. You really, really like it. This kind of validation is hard to come by, and I'm super appreciative of all of your kind words, your encouragement, and your excitement. It tells me that we're really on to something here...we just need the capital to finish strong, and make the reality of this restaurant as good as it looks on paper and in my imagination.

Honey's Fried Chicken Palace "Finish Line" Goals

By Honey's Fried Chicken Palace

Honey's Fried Chicken Palace "Finish Line" Goals

We're close. It's time for one last push.