Golden Chick announced that one of its tenured franchisees, Shay Ghafoor, has officially signed a five-unit deal to continue the brand’s expansion in Louisiana. This May, Ghafoor opened the first-ever Golden Chick in Baton Rouge marking the brand’s entrance into Louisiana during an unprecedented time for the industry. He also owns and operates two additional restaurants in Brownwood and Stephenville, Texas.
The rapidly growing quick-service chicken franchise is known for its Original Golden Tenders, Golden Roast Chicken, famous hot yeast rolls and Big & Golden™ Chicken Sandwich. The brand currently operates 192 locations across Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and will expand into Las Vegas in 2021.
“Shay is a valued part of our franchisee family and we could not be more proud of his success and plans to expand here in Louisiana helping us get closer to our goal of 500 restaurants by 2030,” says Jim Stevens, president of Golden Chick. “When Shay set out to open the Baton Rouge location, circumstances were uncertain due to the pandemic, but he was able to combat the odds focusing on the drive-thru, cleanliness and customer service.”
Ghafoor’s Baton Rouge location was opened with the intention of becoming a place where the community could gather around great food. The restaurant has experienced great success since the opening three months ago with a drive-thru line wrapping around the building on opening day.
Shay Ghafoor and Jim Stevens pictured signing the Louisiana expansion deal.
“Since we opened in Baton Rouge earlier this year, it has been my goal to open five more Golden Chick restaurants in Louisiana over the next few years,” adds Ghafoor. “I could not be more excited with our plans to expand and to continue sharing what Golden Chick has to offer with the communities in Louisiana. I am confident that once guests get a taste of our chicken they will love it as much as I do.”
The five locations will feature Golden Chick’s updated interior look with copper ceiling tiles, four-screen multimedia displays and a new brown-tan-and-gold color scheme. Construction on new locations in Louisiana are scheduled to begin next year.
