Tiffany Derry’s duck fat-fried chicken is headed to Las Colinas. Roots Chicken Shak will open this winter at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, giving the entertainment district one more reason to show up hungry before a concert.
Derry needs little introduction around here. The Beaumont native first caught national attention on Season 7 of Top Chef, and since 2025 she has sat at the judges’ table on MasterChef alongside Gordon Ramsay and Joe Bastianich. At home she runs T2D Concepts with business partner Tom Foley. The group is behind Roots Southern Table and Radici Wood Fired Grill in Farmers Branch, the Shef Food + Wine Festival and Roots Chicken Shak, which started as a counter inside Legacy Hall in Plano in 2017.
The duck fat goes back further than that. Derry was frying chicken in it during her days at Private Social in Uptown more than a decade ago, and it has been her signature ever since.
The Irving shop will be the second Roots Chicken Shak franchise. The first opened last December on Belt Line Road in Addison, and the same owners are behind both. Corey and Marian Epperson were T2D’s first franchisees, and Irving is a homecoming of sorts for them. Corey is a U.S. Air Force veteran, and the couple’s first date was a walk along the Las Colinas canals, not far from where their new restaurant will stand.
“We’re excited to have Corey and Marian bringing Roots Chicken Shak to Irving and growing with us,” Derry said. “They understand what makes Roots special, from the food and hospitality to the importance of being part of the community.”
The chicken is the reason to go. It is fried in duck fat until the crust turns deep gold and crackly, then hit with Derry’s own spice blend. The Big Bird sandwich leads the menu, with wings, tenders and salads alongside. The Irving location will carry the expanded lineup of Southern sides that debuted in Addison, including mac and cheese, collard greens and red beans and rice. Save room for the biscuit, a flaky one served with pepper jam and Steen’s butter, sweetened with the Louisiana cane syrup that Gulf Coast kitchens have relied on for generations. Everything is prepped in-house daily.
Roots Chicken Shak Irving will be at 370 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Suite 102. An opening date and grand opening plans have not been announced. For updates, visit rootschickenshak.com or follow @rootschickenshak on Instagram.
