Is Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken Still Open? Food Paradise Update
Food Paradise, Season 3 Memphis, Tennessee
Current status
As of October 2026, Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 7, 2026.
What the source shows: The downtown location's website, checked 2026-09-08, listed current hours and a working ordering system with a 2026-09-07 last-modified header, and Wikipedia's 2026-08-23 revision independently described the chain's roughly 40 locations as of March 2026. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 3, Episode 1
- Address 310 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103
- Website gusfriedchicken.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Food Paradise?
Food Paradise, Season 3, Episode 1
Food Paradise: Manliest Restaurants featured Gus's Fried Chicken, a Memphis-based Southern fried chicken business. According to Wikipedia (revised 2026-08-23), the chain was founded in Mason, Tennessee, by Napoleon Vanderbilt and had grown to roughly 40 locations in 14 states as of March 2026. The business's own website, checked 2026-09-08 with a last-modified header of 2026-09-07, listed current hours and an active online-ordering system for its downtown Memphis location.
Man v. Food, Season 1, Episode 02 Aired
Man v. Food (S1E02, aired 2008-12-03) featured Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Memphis, spotlighting the restaurant's fried chicken. According to Wikipedia (revised 2026-08-23), the chain was founded in Mason, Tennessee, by Napoleon Vanderbilt and, per a March 2026 count, operated roughly 40 locations across 14 states, with plans to begin franchising in China. Wikipedia also noted the downtown location's hearse parked out front, part of the restaurant's longstanding branding, and listed the chain's past appearances on other food-television programs including The Best Thing I Ever Ate and $40 a Day with Rachael Ray. The downtown Memphis location's own website, gusfriedchicken.com, listed current daily hours and an active online ordering system, according to a site check with a 2026-09-07 last-modified header, performed 2026-09-08.
The episodes
Also in Season 3
Season 3: 17 of 22 still open
- Open
- Closed
-
Ep 1Jethro's BBQ
Open -
Ep 1Keens Steakhouse
Open -
Ep 1Original Joe's
Open -
Ep 1Primanti Bros.
Open -
Ep 1Salt's Cure
Open -
Ep 1The Salt Lick
Open
Nearest restaurants
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Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Closed -
Food Paradise
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Food Paradise
Open
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- gusfriedchicken.com http://gusfriedchicken.com/downtown-memphis-tennessee-location/
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus%27s_World_Famous_Fried_Chicken
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record mvf-004 · checked by Cal Marchetti.