Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only Southern inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today the signing of a five-unit development deal for the greater Fort Myers and Naples areas. This news builds on the tremendous growth Chicken Salad Chick is experiencing throughout the state with five additional locations slated to open by year-end, growing it’s statewide presence to 30 thriving restaurants.
New Florida development is already underway, with upcoming openings in Ocala (4720 SW College Road) and Gainesville (4062 Plaza Blvd Suite 20) – both set to debut in Q2. Also in the pipeline are locations in Wellington (12792 Forest Hill Blvd) and Brooksville (west of Suncoast Parkway) – slated to open in Q3, and Wesley Chapel (Wesley Chapel Blvd. & State Rd. 56) projected to open by year-end.
Behind the Naples and Fort Myers signed agreement is a pair of South Florida enthusiasts who are eager to begin their next career move with Chicken Salad Chick and bring its great flavors to the Naples and Fort Myers community.
“Chicken Salad Chick is a brand that values quality in its menu, customer service, and operations,” says the owners of this South Florida deal. “The delicious menu offerings make for easy meals for family beach trips, gatherings and holidays, and we’re excited to bring that quality product to our community. Chicken Salad Chick was a natural progression for us because we get to be on the ground floor of a fast-growing brand, while benefiting from its established history in the state.”
With an open real estate landscape and vast opportunity for market growth, Chicken Salad Chick is looking to expand across the state, with strategic franchise partners, in target development markets including Cocoa Beach, Palm Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Weston, and Hollandale Beach.
“The state of Florida has proven itself as a successful market for Chicken Salad Chick, with over 25 locations open and plans for 30 restaurants to be in operation by the end of 2021,” says Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. “Naples and Fort Myers are areas with promising potential due to their large family-centered communities and prime locations for vacation. We’re more than humbled to welcome our new owners to our franchise family, and look forward to seeing their tremendous success.”
Chicken Salad Chick is seeking qualified single and multi-unit franchisees with an entrepreneurial spirit and experience in the restaurant, business or a relevant industry. With more than 180 restaurants currently open across 17 states, the brand’s investment opportunity and multiple revenue streams have quickly gained attention among local families and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Chicken Salad Chick continues to be recognized as a standout franchise system, being named one of QSR magazine’s Best Franchise Deals and Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers for the second and fourth consecutive year, respectively. The brand was also highlighted as one of Entrepreneur magazine’s Top Food Franchises of 2020 and took home Franchise Times’ highly competitive Deal of the Year Award for Brentwood Associates’ acquisition of fast casual concept in November 2019. This compounding success has positioned the brand for accelerated expansion in 2021 as it plans to open 40 new restaurants in key markets across the Southeast and Midwest regions. In addition to this impressive development, Chicken Salad Chick is reporting $175.1 million in systemwide sales, a +17.1% increase over 2019.
Looking ahead, the brand plans to have 50 new restaurant openings per year by 2022 to bolster its overarching goal of having 500 locations open and operating by the end of 2025.
