Sept. 29, 2023

A new ghost kitchen in Sioux Falls that’s serving chicken tenders and fries is a locally owned concept.

1st & Tenders is the creation of Boss’ Pizza & Chicken.

As the popularity of ghost kitchens grew during the COVID-19 pandemic when people turned to takeout and delivery options, Boss’ founder Jeremey Seefeldt said various businesses reached out to him about hosting a concept.

He realized he had the delivery drivers, the kitchens and the food and decided “why don’t I just do it and cut out the middleman.”

As of this week, customers can order 1st & Tenders at FirstAndTenders.com and through DoorDash.

Rather than using DoorDash drivers, Boss’ uses its own delivery team, paying a smaller cut to the third-party service than other restaurants do, Seefeldt said.

The menu for Boss’ Pizza & Chicken includes the hand-breaded chicken tenders, but most customers order broasted chicken or pizza, Seefeldt said. Creating a ghost kitchen that focuses on chicken tenders and fries should drive additional sales, he noted.

1st & Tenders is kicking off during football season, and the sports theme carries into the menu. The Missed Extra Point meal is six tenders and fries, for example, while the Field Goal meal is three tenders and fries.

Regular tenders come with a choice of 15 dipping sauces. For an additional charge, they can be tossed in sauce or coated with one of five dry rub seasonings.

“Off-sides” include mac-and-cheese, baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad.

Other choices include bone-in buffalo wings, gizzards and funnel cake fries.

The slogan for the business is “hand-breaded tenders as fresh as 1st and 10.”

In the coming weeks, 1st & Tenders will be available throughout the Boss’ chain.

“We are rolling it out  one city at a time to work out any problems systemwise and train each location one at a time,” Seefeldt said. “It should be available everywhere there is a Boss’ within two to three weeks.”