After 30 years in business, Louisiana-based Southern Classic Chicken has recently launched its franchise opportunity and is turning its attention to the Lone Star State to kick off its expansion across the South. The brand already has two corporate-owned Texas locations open in Longview and Tyler, and is looking to add as many as 20 new franchise-owned restaurants across the Dallas area in the coming years.

“We wanted to focus our expansion efforts on Dallas first because it is the closest and largest metropolitan area to our home base in Shreveport, so we will be able to easily provide support to these locations,” says Nick Binnings, Director of Brand Development for Southern Classic Chicken. “Since we have two locations in Texas already, we are excited to be bringing our comfort food to even more residents in the Dallas area.”

Tom O’Keefe, Managing Director, expects that the Dallas area could hold up to 20 Southern Classic Chicken franchises, and potentially an additional 15-20 locations as the brand continues to expand. With that in mind, the brand is looking for franchisees who have restaurant management experience that align with the family-focused culture. However, the priority is growing at a comfortable pace to ensure that the franchisees are a perfect fit for the brand.

“We have had a successful 2020 with a 20 percent increase in system-wide sales in drive-thru alone and we are hoping to bring that success to the Dallas area as well,” says O’Keefe. “Southern Classic Chicken’s drive-thru and walk-up models have contributed greatly to our success, and we believe these models are attractive to those looking to get into the restaurant franchise space during this time.”