The history of Wonderland Chicken Co. begins with a love story. In 2019 the owners, husband-wife team Jonathan Gooden and Autumn Eberlei, happened to order a Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich at a brewery in Portland. They loved it so much, they obsessed over how to replicate it. Their experiments turned into a recipe for the sandwich. The family wanted to stay true in spirit to the restaurant that started the trend, Prince’s Hot Chicken in Nashville. Legend has it that the original intensely spicy chicken sandwich was created by a woman trying to seek revenge on a cheating boyfriend, but he ended up loving it so much they opened a restaurant.
The Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich has different spice levels and is topped with pickle slaw. Photo courtesy of wonderlandchickenco.
Wonderland Chicken’s sandwich is only a labor of love. The couple put their own twist on it, using chicken thighs instead of the traditional dark meat, and pickle slaw instead of pickle chips. The company’s website says they were playing around with fusion taco recipes when they created the slaw. They also developed their own blend of seasonings. While the roots are historically spicy, Wonderland offers multiple spice levels. Last year, the Source ran an article rating their different heat levels from zero to seven which is said to be pure fire.
The pandemic turned their lives upside down, leading the family of four to live in an RV and build a food cart from scratch. They opened their first truck in 2021 in Sisters. When the family moved to Bend in 2023, so did their truck. The family tested the truck in a variety of locations, before opening within Worthy Brewing Downtown. Their food truck moved to Century Commons Taps & Trucks in Sunriver last year. The family now has 15 employees which Gooden says play a big role in their success.
Wonderland Chicken Co. sells more than sandwiches. The menu features loaded mac and cheese with fried chicken bits, Nashville sauce and diced pickles, as well as loaded cheese fries, chicken bites and Nashville hot tacos. Their motto, woven into everything they make, is “Nashville flavor with a Wonderland twist.”
Runner up: Zorba the Greek
Wonderland Chicken Co.
Daily 11am-9pm
56809 Venture Ln., Sunriver
wonderlandchickenco.com/
This article appears in Best of Central Oregon 2025 and the Source August 21, 2025.
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