TV Restaurants

What Happened to The Foolish Chicken After Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 31 Ottawa, Ontario

Current status

Closed

As of October 2026, The Foolish Chicken has closed — confirmed via ctvnews.ca, April 13, 2022.

What the source shows: CTV News Ottawa reported on 2022-04-13 that owners Rick Boland and Natalie Aucoin would close The Foolish Chicken for good on April 24, 2022 unless a buyer was found, citing staff shortages. A commercial listing posted 2026-06-25 offers 79 Holland Avenue for lease as a fully fixtured restaurant space. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

The Foolish Chicken appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in the episode "Smokin' Hot BBQ," which aired 2020-01-31. Food Network's restaurant page lists rotisserie chicken and ribs as the featured dishes and describes chicken coated in a spice rub, cooked slowly over low heat for more than an hour and served with house-made barbecue sauce; it gives the address as 79 Holland Ave in Ottawa. A 2019 CanCon sponsor page on Sched placed the restaurant in a two-story house on Holland Avenue in Hintonburg, run by Rick Boland and baker Natalie Aucoin, with spit-roasted chicken, ribs and desserts.

CTV News Ottawa reported on 2022-04-13, in a story by Dave Charbonneau, that owners Rick Boland and Natalie Aucoin had put The Foolish Chicken up for sale after a 15-year run because they could not find enough staff after the pandemic closures, and that it would close for good on April 24, 2022 unless a buyer was found. In 2026 the building at 79 Holland Avenue was advertised for lease as a fully fixtured restaurant space, in a commercial listing first posted on 2026-06-25.

The episode Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 31

Episode 5
Aired
Title: Smokin' Hot BBQ · What was featured: Spice-rubbed rotisserie chicken and ribs with house barbecue sauce
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 31 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 31: 29 of 38 still open

All 13 Season 31 episodes →

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Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 4 references

  1. foodnetwork.com https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/no-state/ottawa/foolish-chicken-restaurant
  2. foodnetwork.com https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/episodes/31/p/2
  3. cancon2019.sched.com https://cancon2019.sched.com/sponsor/the_foolish_chicken.206pdm3k
  4. Google https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Foolish+Chicken+424+Preston+St+Ottawa+ON
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Record ddd-1640 · checked by Cal Marchetti.