The Journey
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2021Charlie Retires from Professional Football
Before launching the business, Charlie enjoyed a successful career as a professional footballer. Starting at Aston Villa before joining Stoke City, he later took his career overseas, playing in America for Rio Grande Valley FC, Houston Dynamo (MLS), San Antonio FC and OKC Energy, before finishing in Canada with Ottawa Fury FC. After years in the professional game, Charlie decided it was time for a new challenge.
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2022Where It All Started
Although opportunities remained to continue playing in Europe, he chose to return home to support his mum as she opened a new café. It was there, while helping in the kitchen, that Charlie began perfecting his fried chicken recipe — and it wasn’t long before customers started asking for more. The family took over the local café, Rumbles, marking the beginning of the journey.
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2022The Village Kitchen Launches
Charlie began serving freshly made fried chicken from The Village Kitchen during the daytime, offering fried chicken baguettes and salads after noticing the growing demand for the chicken in the café. As its popularity continued to grow, he opened the shop on Friday evenings alongside his three brothers, marking the beginning of what would become a local favourite.
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2023Growing Demand
As demand for Charlie’s Fried Chicken continued to grow, the café evolved to focus primarily on catering during the week, while Friday and Saturday evenings became dedicated to serving Charlie’s Fried Chicken. To reflect this new direction, a split storefront sign was introduced, featuring Charlie’s Chicken on one half and The Village Kitchen Catering on the other. With the growing popularity of the chicken shop, opening hours were expanded to include both Friday and Saturday evenings.
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2024Honouring a Legacy
In 2024, Charlie and his family experienced the heart-breaking loss of his grandad, who had been a huge part of both their family and the business. Determined to honour his legacy, they took the next step in growing Charlie’s Fried Chicken by investing in a branded catering vehicle, allowing the business to bring its food to events across the region.
His grandad’s memory continues to be at the heart of everything they do. His image proudly features on the back of the catering vehicle and on every branded food box — a lasting tribute to the man whose support, values and love for family helped shape the business from the very beginning. As a proudly family-run business, this was an incredibly difficult time, but his legacy continues to inspire every milestone that follows.
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2025A Full Circle Moment
Exactly one year after the passing of Charlie’s grandad, Charlie’s Fried Chicken took its catering van to Birmingham City FC — Charlie’s boyhood club and his grandad’s beloved team.
What made the occasion even more meaningful was that the fixture was the Trevor Francis Memorial Match. Trevor Francis had always been his grandad’s favourite player, making the opportunity feel like more than just another event. For the family, it was an incredibly emotional day that seemed almost meant to be.
Bringing the business to St Andrew’s exactly one year on, with Charlie’s grandad’s image proudly displayed on the back of the catering van, was a moment the family will never forget. It wasn’t just another booking — it was a tribute to the man whose legacy continues to inspire everything they do.
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2025A New Chapter Begins
After years of growth and evolution, the shop officially became Charlie’s Fried Chicken, with the storefront changing for the third and final time to reflect the business it had become.
What started as a café serving fried chicken baguettes had now evolved into a dedicated fried chicken shop. Today, the premises serve not only as the home of Charlie’s Fried Chicken but also as the preparation kitchen for the growing catering business and event catering van.
Every change has been driven by the incredible support of customers and the ambition to keep improving. While the journey has already seen many unforgettable milestones, this is only the beginning. There are many more chapters still to be written in the story of Charlie’s Fried Chicken.
