Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today a successful first half of 2021, opening 17 new locations, including market debuts in South Florida; Roanoke, Virginia; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Chicken Salad Chick also welcomed four new franchise owners to the Chick network and gained a generous lead on the brand’s projected 40 openings for 2021. Additionally, the brand signed 14 franchise agreements for target markets such as Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Indiana. Overall, in the first half of 2021, Chicken Salad Chick’s total system sales are up +50% year-over-year.
“Coming off a turbulent year for so many businesses, we remain grateful to Chick fans and dedicated teams, who have propelled our success and growth through today. In today’s competitive market of fast casual chicken concepts, our brand has continued to differentiate itself with our made-from-scratch food and our hospitable atmosphere that guests are excited to return to,” says Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. “This year, in addition to our in-restaurant dining, we have leaned into digital ordering, third party delivery and packaging updates to serve our guests with greater convenience.”
Chicken Salad Chick has seen strong sales growth this spring and summer across all of its guest access channels with dine-in, takeout, drive-thru, digital ordering and delivery and catering. Additionally, to meet the demand for online ordering, Chicken Salad Chick rolled out third-party delivery through UberEats and DoorDash, making it more convenient for chicken salad enthusiasts to order their meal. The renewed sales in catering can be attributed to the branded box lunch catering options, which offer individualized portions of chicken salad meals. This unique spin on catering now makes up more than 75% of the company’s catering product mix, resulting in a double-digit catering sales increase over 2019. The brand’s momentum in the first half of 2021 culminated with the opening of its 200th location this summer in LaGrange, GA.
“From offering delivery to new catering options, we have continued to not only earn the respect and trust of guests but also existing franchise owners, many of whom have now begun evolving into multi-unit restaurant owners,” says Deviney. “Our operators are resilient and truly take pride in serving their communities, which has enabled our rapid development. We look forward to continued growth alongside our dedicated franchise owners and reaching many more extraordinary milestones, including our 200th restaurant opening on the horizon.”
Chicken Salad Chick continues to target states like Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, in the Southern, Midwest regions for franchise development and is actively seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who possess high energy and enthusiasm for the brand, marketing skills and the ability to manage a strong team. Restaurant experience is preferred. Interested candidates should have a minimum net worth of $600,000 and liquid assets of at least $200,000. Franchisees can expect the initial investment to be approximately $562,000 – $740,000 with a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
