The Founder Who Sold His Hot Chicken Restaurant and Walked Into the Woods with Joe DeLoss

Send us Fan MailJoe DeLoss is best known as the founder of Hot Chicken Takeover, one of Columbus’s most recognizable restaurant stories. But this conversation is not really about chicken.Joe talks with Keri about the rise of Hot Chicken Takeover, the ego that came with it, the people impacted by his leadership, and the personal reckoning that followed. He is honest about marriage, fatherhood, masculinity, ambition, and the uncomfortable reality that success does not automatically make you whole.Now, Joe lives in Mount Vernon and is building Baker Road, a hospitality and retreat concept rooted in nature, adventure, discomfort, and real human connection. Think less corporate retreat, more walking into the woods and remembering you are still a person.This conversation moves from Columbus entrepreneurship to 100-mile runs, natural burials, leadership, vultures, marriage, and what the next chapter of Joe’s work looks like.At its heart, this conversation is about what happens when success forces you to face yourself. Joe’s story is a reminder that growth isn't always glamorous. Sometimes, the real work begins after the big win, when you have to decide who you want to become next.