Chicken restaurant partners with Soulcial Kitchen to open O’Fallon location
Heaterz Chicken, known for its Nashville-style hot chicken, will open a new location in St. Clair County later this year.
The eatery is expected to debut during the third quarter of 2026 inside the Old Base Factory in O’Fallon, according to a news release.
“Every entrepreneur dreams of building something that outlasts them, and Heaterz is built to scale without losing what made it special in the first place,” Heaterz founder Dan King stated in the release.
Heaterz’s arrival in O’Fallon is part of a franchise partnership with Soulcial Kitchen, the release states. As a result, Heaterz will participate in Soulcial Kitchen’s Currency of Caring program, through which guests can fund meals for those in the community dealing with food insecurity.
“Heaterz isn’t just great chicken — it’s a brand built by someone who genuinely cares about people, and that’s the only kind of brand we partner with,” John Michel, co-founder and president of Soulcial Kitchen, stated in the release.
“Dan has built something fans drive across state lines for, and now we get to pair that energy with our belief that there is no such thing as a throwaway life,” Michel added. “Every Heaterz meal sold in St. Clair County will help feed a neighbor who needs one. That’s the kind of expansion we’re after — flavor that builds community, not just sales.”
The O’Fallon restaurant will be Heaterz’s sixth location, and “it won’t be our last,” King said. He noted the partnership with Soulcial Kitchen makes the St. Clair County location unique.
“John and his team have built a platform where craft and conscience live in the same kitchen,” King said. “We get to keep doing what we do best, while knowing every order helps put a hot meal in front of someone who needs one. That’s a partnership worth showing up for.”
The Currency of Caring program has multiple participating partners in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, Colorado Springs and one in the Philippines. There are nearly 20 Illinois partners, including Heaterz, as well as Soul Burgers and Space Shuttle Café.
The program, along with Food is Love, previously joined forces with Old Base Factory to help provide more than 1,000 meals per year for those in need throughout the region.
“Old Base Factory was built to be more than a food hall — it was designed to be the kind of place where the best operators in our region can do their best work, side by side,” Eric Wallace, co-founder of Old Base Factory, stated in the release.
“Welcoming Heaterz and Soulcial Kitchen into our lineup checks every box for us. Dan’s award-winning chicken brings the kind of regional draw that turns O’Fallon into a destination, and Soulcial’s Currency of Caring brings a heart that very few food halls anywhere can claim,” Wallace added.
Earlier this year, Old Base Factory announced food hall partnerships with Max and Mugg’s, a casual dining concept from the family behind Andria’s Steakhouse in O’Fallon, and Beast Craft BBQ, which is based in Belleville and owned by David and Meggan Sandusky.
About the businesses
Heaterz Chicken has metro-east locations in Alton and another coming soon to Wood River. To learn more about Heaterz, visit heaterzchicken.com.
Old Base Factory is currently under construction at 230 Oberneufemann Road in O’Fallon and is slated to open in late summer.
Soulcial Kitchen, located at 127 North Belt East in Swansea, continues to grow since its food truck park first opened in 2021.
In addition to various partnerships in the area, Soulcial Kitchen offers a Food Truck Apprenticeship program that provides training in hospitality and entrepreneurial capability development. Graduates of the program have gone on to operate their own businesses with food trucks and some brick and mortar establishments.
The campus has an outdoor entertainment park that features live music on weekends, and recently transformed the campus’ main building into Soulcial Kitchen Commons, a food access and hospitality hub for the campus.
Learn more about Soulcial Kitchen by visiting soulcialkitchen.com.
