noteworthy
It’s hot chicken in a hot market. Anthony Huynh, BS ’12, has carved out a unique niche with Birdie’s Hot Chicken, a spicy chicken chain that is rapidly expanding across southeastern Massachusetts.
Huynh, 34, transformed his Sawyer Business School accounting degree and entrepreneurial spirit into a thriving food venture. He founded Birdie’s in 2021, shortly before the dish—typically Southern-style, buttermilk-brined and fried chicken tenders, which are seasoned with a cayenne or paprika sauce at levels ranging from mild to nearly unbearable—became the latest “it” food, popping up all over Boston in the form of huge national chains like Raising Cane’s and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Huynh opened his first outlet in Brockton, followed soon after by a second one in suburban Westwood. The fast-casual locations attract a diverse crowd of students, professionals, and families looking for something a little out of the ordinary. “People were ready for hot chicken here. Our job was to deliver a product we truly believe in,” he says.
In early 2024, he opened the third location (a fourth is now in New Bedford) in a spot particularly close to his heart. It’s steps away from Suffolk’s campus in Downtown Crossing at 267 Washington Street, and he has mounted his diploma under a colorful gold-and-blue, Ram-adorned mural on the wall as a point of pride.
“I wanted to come back to the place that shaped me,” he explains. His downtown Boston manager, Steven Ho, BS ’12, is also a Suffolk alumnus, and David Võ, BS ’13, manages his Westwood location, creating a full-circle moment for the business. “It’s amazing to work with people who share that same experience. Suffolk gave us the tools to dream big,” he says. Downtown Boston’s restaurant scene is still inching towards pre-pandemic levels of business, but Huynh is optimistic about its future.
“I love Boston and came to Suffolk because I wanted to be in the city,” he says. During his student years, he commuted daily from Avon, Massachusetts; served as the president of the Asian American Association; and enjoyed immersing himself in the University’s business program, learning from revered faculty members like Thomas Whelan (now an instructor emeritus of accounting), who emphasized practical applications of business concepts.
BOSTON BOY MEETS HOT CHICKEN
Huynh’s obsession with hot chicken started as an experimental cooking project after a trip to Nashville with his wife and fellow foodie, Vivian Chow, a Winchester native and Newbury College graduate who grew up working in her family’s restaurants.
The hot chicken trend was already firmly entrenched in Los Angeles, where the couple lived at the time, but still relatively unknown in New England. Before the pandemic, Huynh was working in public accountancy for hospitality industry clients, and during the shutdown he and Chow spent nearly a year experimenting with (and, he says, “often combusting”) countless fried chicken recipes on their apartment patio frying machine until they hit upon the special Birdie’s formula.
When they moved back to the Boston area, he launched the first Birdie’s and focused on a marketing strategy heavy on social media, with creative posts featuring pop culture influencers from shows like The Office and Breaking Bad helping to build the brand.
Huynh is aware of how often new restaurant ventures fail, and credits Chow as a major force behind his success. “She’s amazing with people and running the business,” Huynh says. “Without her, this would not be possible.”
With Birdie’s firmly established on the Massachusetts hot chicken map, Huynh and Chow are setting their sights on their next culinary venture: Texas-style barbecue.
This new fast-casual concept, to be called Noah’s—after the couple’s 2-year-old son—will bring authentic brisket, ribs, and other barbecue staples to Braintree’s South Shore Plaza this year.
“Boston’s barbecue scene has room to grow, and we’re excited to fill that gap,” Huynh says.
He sees his mission these days as far more than giving people a memorable lunch. “It’s about building community, pursuing passion, and continuously learning,” he says. “Even though I’m out of school for the last 12 years, I’m still learning every day.”
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spring 2025
Photograph by Adam DeTour
By Erica Noonan
Anthony Huynh and his wife, Vivian Chow, now run four Birdie’s locations, in Boston, Brockton, New Bedford, and Westwood. Photograph by Adam DeTour
It’s hot chicken in a hot market. Anthony Huynh, BS ’12, has carved out a unique niche with Birdie’s Hot Chicken, a spicy chicken chain that is rapidly expanding across southeastern Massachusetts.
Huynh, 34, transformed his Sawyer Business School accounting degree and entrepreneurial spirit into a thriving food venture. He founded Birdie’s in 2021, shortly before the dish—typically Southern-style, buttermilk-brined and fried chicken tenders, which are seasoned with a cayenne or paprika sauce at levels ranging from mild to nearly unbearable—became the latest “it” food, popping up all over Boston in the form of huge national chains like Raising Cane’s and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Huynh opened his first outlet in Brockton, followed soon after by a second one in suburban Westwood. The fast-casual locations attract a diverse crowd of students, professionals, and families looking for something a little out of the ordinary. “People were ready for hot chicken here. Our job was to deliver a product we truly believe in,” he says.
In early 2024, he opened the third location (a fourth is now in New Bedford) in a spot particularly close to his heart. It’s steps away from Suffolk’s campus in Downtown Crossing at 267 Washington Street, and he has mounted his diploma under a colorful gold-and-blue, Ram-adorned mural on the wall as a point of pride.
“I wanted to come back to the place that shaped me,” he explains. His downtown Boston manager, Steven Ho, BS ’12, is also a Suffolk alumnus, and David Võ, BS ’13, manages his Westwood location, creating a full-circle moment for the business. “It’s amazing to work with people who share that same experience. Suffolk gave us the tools to dream big,” he says.Downtown Boston’s restaurant scene is still inching towards pre-pandemic levels of business, but Huynh is optimistic about its future.
“I love Boston and came to Suffolk because I wanted to be in the city,” he says. During his student years, he commuted daily from Avon, Massachusetts; served as the president of the Asian American Association; and enjoyed immersing himself in the University’s business program, learning from revered faculty members like Thomas Whelan (now an instructor emeritus of accounting), who emphasized practical applications of business concepts.
BOSTON BOY MEETS HOT CHICKEN
Huynh’s obsession with hot chicken started as an experimental cooking project after a trip to Nashville with his wife and fellow foodie, Vivian Chow, a Winchester native and Newbury College graduate who grew up working in her family’s restaurants.
The hot chicken trend was already firmly entrenched in Los Angeles, where the couple lived at the time, but still relatively unknown in New England. Before the pandemic, Huynh was working in public accountancy for hospitality industry clients, and during the shutdown he and Chow spent nearly a year experimenting with (and, he says, “often combusting”) countless fried chicken recipes on their apartment patio frying machine until they hit upon the special Birdie’s formula.
When they moved back to the Boston area, he launched the first Birdie’s and focused on a marketing strategy heavy on social media, with creative posts featuring pop culture influencers from shows like The Office and Breaking Bad helping to build the brand.
Huynh is aware of how often new restaurant ventures fail, and credits Chow as a major force behind his success. “She’s amazing with people and running the business,” Huynh says. “Without her, this would not be possible.”
With Birdie’s firmly established on the Massachusetts hot chicken map, Huynh and Chow are setting their sights on their next culinary venture: Texas-style barbecue.
This new fast-casual concept, to be called Noah’s—after the couple’s 2-year-old son—will bring authentic brisket, ribs, and other barbecue staples to Braintree’s South Shore Plaza this year.
“Boston’s barbecue scene has room to grow, and we’re excited to fill that gap,” Huynh says.
He sees his mission these days as far more than giving people a memorable lunch. “It’s about building community, pursuing passion, and continuously learning,” he says. “Even though I’m out of school for the last 12 years, I’m still learning every day.”