Watson’s Shack & Rail

It’s hard to know exactly how to put ten years into a few paragraphs. When Watson’s opened in Downtown Champaign in 2016, we wanted to create more than a place to get fried chicken. We wanted it to feel like a neighborhood restaurant that had always been there, a place you could come back to again and again, where the staff knew you, where you could grab a chicken sandwich and a beer, meet friends for brunch, spend an evening at the bar, or make (or lose!) a few memories over a whiskey.

Somewhere along the way, that’s exactly what it became.

For ten years, you filled this little room on Neil Street. You ate a lot of fried chicken. You ordered countless Watson’s Hot sandwiches, chicken & waffles, hushpuppies, and gravy fries. You found new favorite whiskey with us and helped make boozy slushies a thing in Champaign. You showed up for Restaurant Week, seafood boils, special dinners, live music, late nights, Sunday brunches, football weekends, celebrations, first dates, family dinners, and ordinary Tuesday afternoons that turned into something memorable.

Most importantly, you gave us the chance to become part of this community.

You supported us when we were figuring things out in those first few months. You supported us through a pandemic and every strange chapter that came afterward. You supported our staff, our ideas, our events, and all the weird things we decided sounded fun enough to try. And when we expanded beyond the Shack—to the food truck, Memorial Stadium and The Yard—you came along with us.

To every person who ever walked through the doors at 211 N. Neil Street: thank you.

Thank you to everyone who worked a shift here, past and present. Watson’s has always been the people behind the counter, behind the bar, and in the kitchen as much as anything else. You gave this place its personality, and there is no Watson’s story without you.

Thank you to the farmers, makers, breweries, distilleries, musicians, vendors, neighboring businesses, and community organizations we’ve had the privilege to work with over the years.

And thank you, CU, for giving a little chicken shack ten incredible years downtown.

We’re sad to say goodbye to the Shack, but this isn’t goodbye to Watson’s. You’ll still find us at The Yard on Broadway in Urbana, around town in the Watson’s Chicken Food Truck, at Gies Memorial Stadium, and through catering, events, and whatever comes next.

The building may be closing, but the people, the food, and the idea behind Watson’s are still here.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for every meal, every drink, every memory, and every bit of support you’ve given us over the last decade.

We love you, CU. Thanks for letting us be your chicken shack.

—All of us at Watson’s