Seattle food influencer with 7 million followers opening chicken restaurant on Capitol Hill

A Seattle-based food influencer and chef with more than 7 million social media followers is opening a chicken restaurant on Capitol Hill.

Matt Broussard, known on social media as Acooknamedmatt, is planning to open Char the Chicken at 1530 11th Avenue in partnership with Conscious Hospitality Group, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.

Mt. Joy previously operated out of the space until earlier this year, when its locations in Capitol Hill and South Lake Union were closed. Conscious Hospitality Group acquired Mt. Joy from its founders in 2025, who include Ethan Stowell, Robbie Cape, Justin Kaufman, and Dionne Himmelfarb.

Seattle chef was laid off in 2020, turned to social media, and amassed more than 7 million followers

Broussard began his career as a chef at Tom Douglas restaurants, where he worked for six years until he was laid off in 2020. In response, Broussard embarked on a social media career, leveraging his culinary skills to create short-form instructional cooking videos.

In his blog, he also compiled a list of his favorite restaurants throughout Seattle that serve classic options like pizza, tacos, sandwiches, and more.

He also released his first cookbook this summer: “Now We’re Cooking: All-Purpose, Laid-Back Recipes.”

Char the Chicken’s menu will primarily feature whole, half, or quarter chickens alongside a wide variety of house-made sauces. A couple of the prepared dishes will be inspired by the recipes Broussard included in his cookbook. The restaurant will largely operate as counter-service, with “mostly grab-and-go” options, Broussard told The Seattle Times.

Broussard’s first restaurant adds to Conscious Hospitality Group’s growing roster of food-and-beverage brands, such as Matcha Magic, Just Poké, Sugo Hand Roll Bar, and Hap’s Burgers.

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