Cos Cob's Wildacre Rotisserie Joins The 'Better Chicken Commitment'

GREENWICH, CT — Wildacre Rotisserie, Cos Cob's new fast-casual rotisserie restaurant, has joined the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) to commit to sourcing higher welfare chicken.

Led by former Starbucks and Sweetgreen culinary leader Ben Pote, Wildacre offers a fresh take on traditional rotisserie, so naturally, chicken is the star of the menu.

Pote sought out Cooks Venture as its poultry partner, and now has taken the next step to formalize its commitment with guidance from Compassion in World Farming USA.

Wildacre has committed to Version 1 of the Better Chicken Commitment, meaning it will source only chicken certified by Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) and require all chickens to be processed in a manner that avoids live-dumping and live-shackling, and instead utilizes a pre-shackle, multi-step controlled-atmosphere processing system that's widely hailed as more humane.

In sourcing Cooks Venture chicken, Wildacre already meets four out of the five tenets of the Better Chicken Commitment. Cooks Venture raises a slow-growth, heirloom chicken called the Pioneer, taking into account the animal's and environment's health. Core to their mission is advancing regenerative agriculture, and their chickens are pasture-raised, heirloom birds fed a diet of non-GMO feed.

"We identified Cooks Venture as the place we wanted to source our chicken from because we are concerned with how our food is produced within today's industrial model," Pote said in a news release. "We care deeply about how animals are raised and want to help build a better food system, one meal at a time."

According to Julia Johnson, senior food business manager with Compassion in World Farming USA, chickens raised for meat, also known as broiler chickens, make up approximately 95 percent of the farm animals in our food system.

"Over nine billion are raised and slaughtered each year in the United States," she said in a news release. "By announcing their pledge to the Better Chicken Commitment, Wildacre Rotisserie is demonstrating that they care about the quality of life these chickens have, as well as transparency to their customers about their own elevated sourcing standards.""

Compassion USA's food business managers and animal welfare specialists are working with companies like Wildacre Rotisserie to raise the standard of chicken welfare throughout the U.S. and worldwide.

To help improve the lives of animals raised for food, the charity publishes reports — EggTrack and ChickenTrack — that track companies' progress in both the broiler chicken and laying hen industries, ensuring transparency in the marketplace for consumers.

The U.S. Working Group for Broiler Welfare, also co-hosted by Compassion USA, supports and brings together leading food businesses by exploring workable strategies and creative solutions for transitioning supply chains through the welfare standards outlined in the BCC.

For more information on the Better Chicken Commitment, visit click here.

Read more about Wildacre Rotisserie.