Having grown up strictly vegetarian, Nate Krause might seem an unlikely person to open a fried chicken food cart. But Krause said The Roost, which opened in July 2022 and can be found on Library Mall since April, is the logical extension of the 25-year-old entrepreneur’s unlikely journey.
Krause, who also plays rhythm guitar in the popular local rock band The Cuz, attended Oregon High School. But after dropping out of college, he worked almost exclusively in the food industry. It was at Lombardino’s Restaurant that he landed his first “real cooking job…I really loved it: The rush, the pressure, and just the camaraderie.”
Like many restaurant workers, Krause was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, and decided to try going into business for himself. He launched what he called The Secret Restaurant out of his apartment, a “cook-to-order” project where orders came in via social media, mostly from friends and family.
This eventually led Krause to try working at Jason’s Jerk cart, where he was introduced to FEED Kitchens, the prep area Krause still uses today for The Roost. After five months on the Jamaican food cart, Krause felt he was ready to open his own place.
Nate Krause, owner of The Roost, is pictured in his fried chicken food cart at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Library Mall.
“The best part about it is when you serve somebody and then they come back and they’re like, ‘Hey, that was really good!’” Krause said. “Or just [that] a lot of my business is regulars. I get people that eat it every day [or] every other day.
“A lot of people are like, ‘I’m super glad I found you. It’s great [and] State Street needed something like this,’ It really makes me happy because part of cooking is making people happy [and] bringing people together.”
Krause’s best-selling item is the Badgerville Spicy Chicken Sandwich ($10) which consists of fried chicken, sour pickles, and coleslaw on a brioche bun. Despite the name, the heat is Midwestern mild: Krause actually dubbed it the “Nashville Spicy Chicken Sandwich,” but changed the name after customers complained about the heat, or lack thereof.
Locals might recognize the cart Krause uses from its previous life as The Metropolitan, which served New Orleans and Creole-style dishes like po’ boy sandwiches. Krause loved the cart’s barn-like aesthetic, having grown up raising chickens at home. He was able to purchase it for a reasonable price, cleaned it out and added a vent hood, new signage, red paint.
Pat Lange builds a chicken sandwich in The Roost food cart at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Library Mall.
Patrons shouldn’t sleep on the cart’s lemonade ($4), which is made fresh daily and not overly sugary. The Deluxe Fried Chicken Sandwich ($10 or $11 with extra spice) features fried chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, and mayonnaise on a brioche bun. Krause is hoping to add a tortilla-based snack wrap to the menu in the near future.
All menu items are available for purchase via cash, card, and Apple Pay. In addition to spending time on the Library Mall, The Roost does pop-ups around town, such as a recent visit to the Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona. He Krause suggests customers follow The Roost on Facebook and Instagram to see where the cart will be next.
In the long run Krause would love to have a brick and mortar location for The Roots and is open to investors. He would love a spot in the Atwood-Willy St. area that would continue to have the cart’s farmhouse and barn aesthetic. Additionally, he dreams of adding fried chicken wings, a couple of taps and even a spiked Arnold Palmer on the menu. However, for now Krause is just focused on keeping his small business growing reasonably.
“I think the fried chicken market is pretty open in Madison,” Krause said. “We’ll see in a couple of years. I wish I could strike while the iron is hot so to speak, but it’s just not financially viable for me right now.”