Yeah, I ended up spending 2 gold to get 1 chicken because I couldn't buy it with coins or with tickets in the showcase. I think they may have just spaced it because it used to be in the showcase prior to the recent update.
Lots of complaints about this, but I think it is better. I've been able to get 5 stars on some old levels that I didn;t think were possible without spending lots of gold on upgrades.
I just updated and unlocked the new restaurant. During this time I've had the app get hung up three times. I have to close and restart, but then it works again for a bit.