Just as Highland Park is getting new restaurants and bars at Sixth and Euclid avenues in Des Moines, two other restaurants recently closed their doors.
The opening of Lachele’s Fine Foods and The Fitz in February spurred new traffic to the historic district. But places like Leachmon Pit Stop BBQ and The Chicken Shack didn’t survive.
Leachmon Pit Stop BBQ opened in 2023 on N.E. 14th St.
Leachmon moved into the food court at Valley West Mall in West Des Moines in 2022 and then moved to 3900 E. 14th St., Des Moines, in 2023. The restaurant specialized in ribs with barbecue sauce. Family patriarch Frank Leachmon Sr.’s original Pit Stop BBQ opened in the early 1970s.
Tafari 24 already hung a sign over the restaurant.
The Chicken Shack opened on Euclid Avenue in 2022
The Chicken Shack, a fast food chain out of Las Vegas, opened in 2022 with a counter-service restaurant at 1501 E. Euclid Ave., Des Moines. The chain serves chicken wings and fingers, as well as burgers, chili, and sides in a low-key space. The restaurant took over a former Taco Bell restaurant.
Sign up for our new dining newsletter, The Dish, which comes out on Wednesday mornings with all the latest news on restaurants and bars in the metro. You can sign up for free at DesMoinesRegister.com/thedish.
If you see a new restaurant opening or a beloved place closing, send me some details at sstapleton@gannett.com.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Two restaurants serving chicken, barbecue on the north side of Des Moines close
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
