Rick Tanner's Grille and Bar: Dacula's Chicken Institution, Minutes from Apalachee Farms
A metro Atlanta favorite since 1986, Rick Tanner's Grille and Bar on Braselton Highway has spent nearly four decades perfecting one thing above all: rotisserie chicken, served with the signature honey mustard that locals drive across town for. It is Dacula's great casual-gathering room, just minutes from Apalachee Farms.
Lisa Harris
CLHMS, 19 Years in the Community · October 22, 2026
Rick Tanner's Grille and Bar is a metro Atlanta original that has been serving rotisserie chicken, chicken fingers, and its famous honey mustard since 1986, and it has been a Dacula institution since the Braselton Highway location opened. The restaurant traces back to 1986, when Rick Tanner began selling chicken in Atlanta, and the brand has grown into one of the region's most beloved casual dining names. For Apalachee Farms residents, it is the neighborhood answer to a question with no wrong answer: where to go when everyone wants something different and nobody wants a drive.
Part family restaurant, part sports bar, and part live music room, Rick Tanner's sits at 3519 Braselton Highway in the Shops at Hamilton Mill, about five minutes from Apalachee Farms. Flat-screen TVs line every wall, team banners and rock-and-roll memorabilia cover the brick, and the expansive patio turns any mild evening into a gathering. Self-basted rotisserie chickens spin in the open kitchen, and the tables fill with a loyal lunch crowd, soccer teams after practice, and neighbors catching the game.
The self-basted rotisserie chicken with signature honey mustard, the plate Rick Tanner's is known for.
The Menu: Chicken Done Right, and Then Some
Chicken is the soul of the menu: self-basted rotisserie chicken noted even for being gluten-free, deep-fried chicken fingers, rotisserie chicken sandwiches, and a chicken salad melt that regulars order on repeat. But the kitchen goes well beyond poultry, too, with baby-back ribs, rib-eye steaks, burgers, and wings. Rotisserie chicken dinners run around $10 to $13, and almost everything on the menu lands well under $20, which makes it one of the best values in the area. Below are the dishes locals keep coming back for.
The Icon
Self-Basted Rotisserie Chicken
The dish that built the brand: tender, self-basted rotisserie chicken with crisp seasoned skin, noted even for being gluten-free. Served as a dinner with sides, or pulled on rice with hickory BBQ sauce, it is comfort food at its most accomplished.
The Signature
Deep-Fried Chicken Fingers
Golden, crackling chicken fingers served with the honey mustard that has a genuine local following. Ask anyone who grew up in metro Atlanta and they will tell you the same thing: nobody makes honey mustard quite like Tanner's.
The Can't-Resist
Cheesy Chicken Lips
Fried egg rolls stuffed with shredded rotisserie chicken and melted cheese, crispy outside and molten inside. Part appetizer, part event, they are the dish every table orders and nobody shares politely.
The Sandwich
Rotisserie Chicken & Chicken Salad Melt
The rotisserie chicken sandwich stacks tender pulled chicken on a toasted bun, and the chicken salad melt is a classic done exactly right, a lunch-counter staple that anchors the busy midday crowd.
The Range
Ribs, Rib-Eye, Burgers & Wings
Baby-back ribs, rib-eye steaks, hand-pressed burgers, and saucy wings round out the menu, so the chicken fan, the steak person, and the burger loyalist can all eat together happily.
The Social Hour
Sports, Live Music & the Patio
Flat-screens on every wall for game day, live music in the evenings, and an expansive patio for mild Georgia nights. It is as much a neighborhood gathering place as it is a restaurant.
Atmosphere & Vibe
Rick Tanner's is the rare restaurant that pulls off family-friendly and fun at the same time. By day it is a busy, welcoming room with a strong lunch crowd and kids at the tables. By night the sports bar side takes over, with the game on every screen, live music on the calendar, and the patio filling up out back. Team banners and rock memorabilia on the walls give it a lived-in, genuinely local feel that no chain can replicate.
The service is fast and friendly, the portions are generous, and the prices are refreshingly easy. You can feed the whole family well without thinking twice, which is exactly why it has been a metro Atlanta habit for nearly four decades.
Best for: Family dinners, game-day outings, casual weeknight meals, live music evenings, and Apalachee Farms residents who want a reliable, affordable favorite just a few minutes from the gate.
What Makes It Special
A Metro Atlanta Legacy Since 1986
From Rick Tanner's first chicken stand in 1986 to the Dacula location today, the brand has been a metro Atlanta staple for nearly four decades, featured by the AJC and the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Dacula's Casual Gathering Room
Part sports bar, part live music room, and part family restaurant, with TVs on every wall, a big covered patio, and a welcome that treats first-timers like regulars.
The Famous Honey Mustard
The signature honey mustard has a devoted following of its own. Paired with chicken fingers or Cheesy Chicken Lips, it is the taste that turns first visits into habits.
Details
3519 Braselton Hwy, Dacula, GA 30019
Shops at Hamilton Mill · ~5 min from Apalachee Farms
Hours
Monday – Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Wednesday – Friday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Price Range
$ · Casual Family Dining · rotisserie dinners ~$10 – $13, most plates well under $20
Pro Tips
- Order Cheesy Chicken Lips. The fried egg rolls stuffed with rotisserie chicken and cheese are the appetizer that makes the table go quiet.
- Ask for extra honey mustard. The signature sauce is the thing people come back for, and the chicken fingers were born to be dipped in it.
- Take the patio on game day. The expansive outdoor seating and wall of TVs make it one of the best spots around to watch the game with the whole family.
- Come early for lunch. The Braselton Highway location draws a busy midday crowd, and the rotisserie chicken sandwich is worth beating the table rush for.
While You're There
Rick Tanner's sits in the Shops at Hamilton Mill, the same shopping hub that anchors this side of Dacula and Buford. A dinner here pairs naturally with errands at the center, a round at Trophy Club of Apalachee, or a visit to one of the Hamilton Mill pizzerias and cafés already featured on this page. For Apalachee Farms residents, it is the dependable, affordable favorite that balances the area's fine dining roster: less than five minutes from the gate, familiar to three generations of diners, and always satisfying.
For anyone weighing a move to Apalachee Farms, a place like Rick Tanner's is part of the lifestyle math: a premier golf and country-club community, top Gwinnett County schools, and a dining scene with both polish and soul, all within a short drive of home.
Thinking about buying or selling in Apalachee Farms? Lisa Harris has 19 years of experience in the community and knows every section, every market trend, and every great local restaurant. From rotisserie chicken in Dacula to the best listing strategy for your home, she has the local knowledge you need.