Olathe strip mall welcomes fresh GJ Fish & Chicken fryer spot

Ali Modder will open the sixth GJ Fish & Chicken location in Olathe by mid-November, expanding his family’s restaurant chain across the state line from Kansas City. The new site at 808 N. Ridgeview Road in a strip center will replace the former casual Latin American restaurant Santana’s Sazon. Renovation work is underway ahead of the scheduled debut.

Modder, 25, is scaling the business after opening a fifth location in Midtown just weeks ago. That new spot occupies the freestanding former Haha’s Kebabs building at 204 W. 39th St. The expansion follows a strategy of opening separate limited liability companies for each new site, funded by Modder’s personal savings and equity rather than loans.

The menu at GJ locations includes wings, tenders, thighs, legs, breast, chicken livers, gizzards, shrimp, cod, catfish, tilapia, perch, swat, and whiting. Modder said the lemon pepper seasoning is a particular draw, noting that customers put it on everything. The restaurant also serves burgers made with 100% grass-fed beef, cheesesteaks, sandwiches, and sides such as cheese fries, spaghetti, and tater togs.

Modder emphasized that all cooked-to-order items take 15 to 30 minutes, encouraging customers to call in orders or wait patiently. He stated that the business uses no warmers, freezers, or preservatives, with fresh chicken delivered or picked up three times a week. The name GJ honors the family’s hometown of Gulistan-e-Johar in Pakistan, a reminder of their origins.

Modder began working in the restaurant industry as a preteen, eavesdropping on his father’s business dealings. The family opened the original GJ location at 6807 Longview Road in 2014. At age 12, Modder was suspended from school and put to work in the kitchen, where he paid zero dollars but learned to upsell customers. He later held three jobs simultaneously in high school and ventured into day trading in Arizona, which provided funds to return to Kansas City and expand.

The first new location Modder opened was on Truman Road, but he closed it after a couple of years due to staffing issues in a high-crime area and lower local income levels. He learned that location is the most important factor for a restaurant. Since then, he has opened sites in St. Louis, Kansas City, Kansas, and the Kansas City metro area. He does not advertise, relying on word of mouth to drive business.

Mia Tobin of Mia Tobin Art is creating colorful murals for the Midtown location and will brighten the Olathe site as well. Modder travels to each metro location nearly daily, using a self-driving Tesla to make business calls during the ride. His five current locations employ about a dozen people, including his parents, sister, and an aunt. He plans to open three more area locations before potentially creating a new concept from scratch.