Kosher restaurant Chick-In opened its doors to ASU students and faculty on March 23 and since then has received enough positive feedback to remain open over the summer.
As a certified kosher establishment, located at Wilson Hall on the Tempe campus, Chick-In requires special standards and protocols. That’s where Leizer Rodal comes in.
Rodal is not only the general manager at Chick-In but also serves as what’s known as a mashgiach; the supervisor of a kosher establishment who checks and guarantees that all ingredients are kosher certified and clean.
As the mashgiach, Rodal has to be at the restaurant every day that the establishment is open to make sure that all products used in the establishment meet the kosher standards.
“No one can be here to cook if there is no rabbi or mashgiach," Rodal said. "The store shouldn’t even be open if no one is here supervising.”
According to the Jewish law, it is forbidden to consume insects, and Rodal puts all of the ingredients used at Chick-In through an intensive process ensuring that nothing has tarnished any of them.
“I put (the ingredients) through water and a special soap that’s okay for eating,” said Rodal, “they go through four or five washes. After that I put them under a white light, and if I find any sign of even one bug I have to start over again.”
Check-in at Chick-in, the new hot spot on campus. Located near the Hayden library, next to Dave's Doghouse. pic.twitter.com/TRD0lfVffw
— Sun Devil Dining (@SunDevilDining) June 6, 2017
Owner Yariv Elazar believes that the establishment being kosher is just an added bonus due to the high quality of the meat and other ingredients that the restaurant uses.
The menu is intended for a variety of audiences with a large range of internationally-inspired flavors. The menu also includes vegetarian and vegan options. There are also plans for a gluten-free option that is still in the works.
As far as future plans go, Elazar said there’s a good chance of expanding the company beyond ASU’s Tempe campus.
“After receiving so much positive feedback, we are definitely considering expanding to different colleges,” Elazar said.
Elazar also mentioned the possibility of opening locations on the other ASU campuses as well as the possibility of “off campus” locations.
“We don’t want to run too fast,” said Elazar. “We’re waiting to see how (Chick-In does) this upcoming year.”
Although Elazar and his team have ideas for future secret menu items, they want to focus on perfecting the current menu.
“I don’t want anything to change - not the freshness, not the quantity, not the quality,” Elazar said.
Jacob Lille, a political science and justice studies junior at ASU, has become a regular at Chick-In since its grand opening during the spring semester.
“All of the dishes are pretty good because it’s authentic,” said Lille. “I lived in Israel for a bit and I’d say it has the best Mediterranean food that I’ve ever had in Arizona.”
Currently Chick-In is working on developing a website and will also be teaming up with DoorDash and Postmates for off-campus delivery services.
Reach the reporter at bnwill15@asu.edu or follow @BreeWilliams2 on Twitter.
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