Strip's Chicken

Strip’s Chicken is a locally owned, made-from-scratch chicken-strip concept founded by Todd Johnson in Olathe, Kansas in 2016, built around fresh-never-frozen chicken breast hand-breaded in pretzel crumbs and fried for exactly two minutes and ten seconds.¹² From its original express location at 1110 E Santa Fe in Olathe, the brand has grown into a three-unit KC-metro mini-chain with full-service “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing” restaurants in Merriam and Lenexa.³⁴⁵

Locations

Address	City	Opened	Status
1110 E Santa Fe, Olathe, KS 66061	Olathe, KS	2016	Open — express/quick-service original12
5831 Merriam Dr, Merriam, KS 66203	Merriam, KS	~2021	Open — full-service “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing”; bar, patio, pool/darts36
12804 Santa Fe Trail Dr, Lenexa, KS 66215	Lenexa, KS	Nov 2024	Open — full-service “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing”; 9 craft beers45

Note: A former Kansas City, Missouri (Waldo neighborhood) location closed in early 2024 and is excluded from the active location table.⁵

Description

Strip’s Chicken is a local, family-owned quick-service restaurant specializing in made-from-scratch fried chicken strips.¹ Founder Todd Johnson uses chicken breast cut to size, dipped in seasoned batter, breaded with pretzel crumbs, and fried “to perfection” for exactly two minutes and ten seconds.² Beyond the namesake strips, the menu spans grilled chicken sandwiches, gluten-free crispy chicken nuggets, pork tenderloin sandwiches, pork burgers, wings, and smoked pulled-pork sandwiches.⁷⁴ Johnson has emphasized the from-scratch ethos publicly, noting “the only thing we have in our freezer is french fries.”⁵

The original Olathe store operates as an express/drive-thru-style quick-service shop with a dining room and patio, and is notably family-friendly — Nintendo units are mounted at every booth.⁷ The newer Merriam and Lenexa stores trade up to a full-service “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing” format with a bar and a slate of locally crafted beers brewed through partnerships with area breweries.³⁴ The brand also runs a “Round-Up-A-Hug for Foster Kids” community program providing matching funds for foster youth to purchase their first car through a partnership with YouThrive.²

Ownership and history

Strip’s Chicken was founded by Todd Johnson, who was born and raised on a farm near Erie, Kansas, where his grandmother owned the town diner he frequented as a child.² Before launching Strip’s, Johnson worked as a national restaurant consultant — advising restaurateurs on menus and operations around the country — and appeared on television as a consultant to Lisa Vanderpump on Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules.² He opened the first Strip’s Chicken in Olathe in 2016.²

The concept expanded into Johnson County over the following years, adding the full-service Merriam restaurant and a short-lived Kansas City, Missouri (Waldo) location that closed in early 2024.⁵ In November 2024 Johnson opened the Lenexa “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing” store at 12804 Santa Fe Trail Drive, pairing the chicken concept with an in-house brewing program of nine craft beers and stated plans to add a vegetable garden and upscale menu items.⁴⁵

Links

• Official site: https://www.stripschicken.com/
• Locations: https://www.stripschicken.com/locations
• Olathe (Yelp): https://www.yelp.com/biz/strips-chicken-olathe-2
• Lenexa (Yelp): https://www.yelp.com/biz/strip-s-chicken-and-brewing-lenexa-lenexa

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-21 · Source: Strip’s Chicken official site (stripschicken.com), AllMenus, gotoeat.net menu mirror · URL(s): https://www.stripschicken.com/menu, https://www.stripschicken.com/olathe-menu, https://www.allmenus.com/ks/olathe/615900-strips-chicken/menu/ · Confidence: High on item lineup and concept; Medium on exact prices (meal prices vary across aggregators and have changed over time — official-site meal prices used here, item-level prices marked approximate).

The menu is built around the namesake hand-cut, pretzel-crumb-breaded crispy chicken strips — fresh-never-frozen white-meat breast fried in 100% canola oil — sold as donut-and-side meals, alongside a from-scratch run of pork sandwiches, pork burgers, and made-in-house sides.¹⁸⁹

Signature dishes

• Crispy Chicken Strips — hand-cut fresh-never-frozen all-white-meat breast, zesty batter, pretzel-crumb breading, fried 2:10 in 100% canola oil; sold as donut-and-yummy-side meals in 3 pc ($10.99), 5 pc ($13.99), and 7 pc ($15.99) sizes, plus a 20 pc Family Feast ($29.99).¹²⁸⁹
• Flame-Grilled Chicken Strips — grilled (non-breaded) chicken strips; marked dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free.⁹
• Honey-Kissed Crispy Nuggets (GF) — gluten-free crispy chicken nuggets fried in a dedicated GF fryer; dairy-, egg-, and soy-free.⁹⁷

Pork

• Pork Tenderloin Sandwich — hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. ($10.99 — single aggregator)⁸⁷
• Squeal Parmesan Sandwich — breaded pork tenderloin topped with smashed potatoes, gravy, shredded cheese, and bacon.⁹
• Pork Burgers — from-scratch pork-burger line including The Original, Bacon, Mushroom, Three Little Pigs, and White Chili variants.⁸

Sides, sauces & extras

• Yummy Sides — Smashed Potatoes & Gravy, Krinkle Fries (GF), Superfood Slaw (GF), Sweet Potato Tots, Crispy Portabella Strips, Todd’s White Chicken Chili.⁸
• Made-in-house donuts — fresh donuts included with strip meals.⁸⁹
• Dipping sauces — 11 house-made sauces (e.g., Hot Honey, Strawberry BBQ, Honey Dijon, Mango Habanero, Buffalo).⁹
• Kids’ Meal — 2 strips, drink, yummy side, and donut (age 10 & under), ~$5.99.⁸
• Drinks — fountain soda, iced tea, coffee, milk, and Strip’s Pink Lemonade.⁸

Full-service Merriam and Lenexa “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing” stores carry the same core food menu plus a bar and house/partner craft beers; this section reflects the Olathe express menu.³⁴

Sources

Disputes

None recorded.

Footnotes

1. https://www.stripschicken.com/ — asserts: Strip’s Chicken is a local, family-owned, made-from-scratch quick-service restaurant in Olathe, Merriam & Lenexa, Kansas; award-winning fresh food made from scratch. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. https://martincitytelegraph.com/2021/02/27/strips-chicken-is-open/ — asserts: owner/proprietor Todd Johnson; born and raised on a farm near Erie, KS; grandmother owned the town diner; former national restaurant consultant; appeared as consultant to Lisa Vanderpump on Vanderpump Rules; opened first Strip’s Chicken in Olathe in 2016; chicken breast cut to size, seasoned batter, pretzel-crumb breading, fried 2 minutes 10 seconds; “Round-Up-A-Hug for Foster Kids” / YouThrive program. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

3. https://www.stripschicken.com/locations — asserts: Merriam location at 5831 Merriam Dr, Merriam, KS 66203; dining room, patio, curbside, full liquor/beer/wine selection, dart boards and pool table; full-service format. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2024/11/18/strips-chicken-lenexa-open-247261/ — asserts: Lenexa “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing” at 12804 Santa Fe Trail Drive, Lenexa, opened ~mid-November 2024; owner Todd Johnson; fresh-never-frozen, made-from-scratch; nine craft beers via local brewery partnerships; Olathe original opened 2016 (express), Merriam sit-down; planned garden + upscale menu. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

5. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2024/06/05/strips-chicken-lenexa-235054/ — asserts: expansion to Lenexa with beer focus; “only thing in our freezer is french fries” quote; former Kansas City, MO (Waldo) location closed in early May 2024. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

6. https://www.yelp.com/biz/strips-chicken-and-brewing-merriam-3 — asserts: “Strip’s Chicken & Brewing,” 5831 Merriam Dr, Merriam, KS; brewery/restaurant; reviews updated October 2025. ↩

7. https://www.restaurant.com/locations/strip-s-chicken-olathe-1110-e-santa-fe-st — asserts: Olathe at 1110 E Santa Fe, Olathe, KS 66061; phone (913) 210-5170; menu includes crispy chicken strips, grilled chicken sandwiches, gluten-free crispy chicken nuggets, pork tenderloin sandwiches, pork burgers; hours Mon–Sat 10:30am–9pm, Sun closed; Nintendo units at booths. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. https://www.allmenus.com/ks/olathe/615900-strips-chicken/menu/ — asserts: Olathe menu structure — Strip’s Meal (3 strips, yummy side, donut), Strip’s Platter (5 strips), Strip’s Feast (7 strips), Family Feast (20 strips, 2 large sides, dozen donuts); pork burgers (The Original, Bacon, Mushroom, Three Little Pigs, White Chili); yummy sides (Smashed Potatoes & Gravy, Krinkle Fries, Superfood Slaw, Sweet Potato Tots, Crispy Portabella Strips, Todd’s White Chicken Chili); Kid’s Meal; drinks (soda, coffee, milk, iced tea, Strip’s Pink Lemonade). Note: AllMenus listed older meal prices ($5.99/$7.59/$8.99) superseded by current official-site pricing. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

9. https://www.stripschicken.com/menu and https://www.stripschicken.com/olathe-menu (official menu pages; current item descriptions corroborated via stripschicken.gotoeat.net/menu mirror) — asserts: Crispy Chicken Strips (hand-cut, fresh-never-frozen white-meat breast, pretzel breading, 100% canola oil; 3 pc Meal $10.99, 5 pc $13.99, 7 pc $15.99, 20 pc Family $29.99); Flame-Grilled Chicken Strips (dairy/egg/soy-free); Honey-Kissed Crispy Nuggets GF (dairy/egg/soy-free); Pork Tenderloin Sandwich; Squeal Parmesan Sandwich (breaded tenderloin + smashed potatoes, gravy, shredded cheese, bacon); 11 house-made dipping sauces; 2 dedicated gluten-free fryers. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷