'We wanted to do everything that the competition was missing, like use good ingredients and serve top-notch fries.' but we felt like it was not being represented well,' Ardekani said. 'There were a couple of people doing it in Houston. Surprisingly, the idea for Clutch City Cluckers was born in California, where Kilani and Ardekani sampled hot chicken for the first time. Kilani went on to invest in that brand, and now co-owns six of its locations across Texas and Louisiana. Kilani, an immigrant who moved to Houston from Irbid, Jordan, to obtain his master's degree, learned the ins and outs of the food truck business when he worked at a halal food truck called Abu Omar Halal while also going to school full time. 'We want to take the brand to the next level, and to do that, you gotta go big,' Ardekani said. The requests have tallied up so quickly that Clutch City's owners have created a franchise model, and plan to start accepting applications from hopeful owners this fall. They've since received franchise requests from all over the Middle East, including appeals for spots in Dubai, Egypt and Qatar.

The duo hails from Jordan, so choosing it for their first international outpost was only natural, Ardekani explains. 'We worked on this concept for a year before opening, and our plan was to expand and create a brand for Houston.'

'We have a great team in marketing, in planning, and in budgeting,' said general manager Shadi Ardekani, referring to himself and Clutch City Cluckers' sole owner Ahmad Kilani. It may sound like a random mix of locales, but the minds behind the fast-growing brand have a method to the madness. Since launching its first hot chicken food truck at the corner of Chimney Rock and Westheimer in 2021, Clutch City Cluckers has gone on to roll its spicy fare to streets in the Medical Center, Katy and San Antonio, and even added a brick and mortar location in Amman, Jordan.

Clutch city cluckers food truck