While hardly a secret any longer, Connie’s Chicken in Oxford is now open.

The popular chicken restaurant had a soft opening on Wednesday for family and friends, giving away free chicken. Traffic was lined up out of the parking lot and onto West Jackson Avenue for most of the afternoon and evening hours.

On Thursday, the doors opened at 6 a.m.

The original restaurant was founded in 1978 by Constantine “Connie” Aster and his oldest son, Mike. When the restaurant became available for purchase after Mike’s death in December 2020, Nickle Smith and business partners Tres Brasell and Chad Blalack purchased the Tupelo location.

They opened a second location in West Point earlier this year. The Oxford location is their third restaurant.

Connie’s Chicken is located on West Jackson Avenue, near the West Oxford Loop intersection, and is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.