Chicken Salad Chick is a fast casual restaurant chain and franchise of chicken salad restaurants based in Atlanta, Georgia.[2] To date, the chain consists of over 270 franchise restaurants and stores in 20 different U.S. states.[3][4]

Chicken Salad Chick
IndustryFast casual restaurant chain and franchise
Founded2008; 16 years ago (2008) in Auburn, Alabama
FoundersStacy and Kevin Brown
Headquarters
Number of locations
over 270[1] (2024)
ProductsChicken salad, sandwiches, side dishes, and desserts
Websitechickensaladchick.com

History

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The company started with Stacy Brown, who was unemployed, divorced, and raising three children. She started selling her homemade chicken salad door-to-door in Auburn, Alabama. With the health department prohibiting the sale of foods cooked in one's home, Stacy and her future husband Kevin Brown devised a plan to open a restaurant.[5][6][7]

In 2016, Chicken Salad Chick was ranked #37 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in the U.S.[8][9]

The restaurant is partially owned by private equity firm Brentwood Associates, who also have investments in Blaze Pizza and Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar.[10]

Fare

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A scoop of the Classic Carol at a Chicken Salad Chick restaurant

The restaurant serves fifteen styles of chicken salad, served on bread, lettuce as a scoop with crackers, or in a leafy green salad.[7][11] It also provides chicken salad by the pound for take-out and delicatessen-style sandwiches and side dishes.[7]

The restaurant's menu includes pimento cheese, egg salad, broccoli salad, fruit salad, macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, and grape salad. Daily soup specials include tomato bisque, broccoli & cheese, chicken & artichoke florentine, and chicken tortilla; loaded potato soup is available daily.[12]

Philanthropy

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The Chicken Salad Chick Foundation was founded by the company in August 2014 and is a partner with the American Cancer Society.[13] The foundation also partners with food banks in communities with Chicken Salad Chick restaurant locations in efforts to nourish people in need.[13] For example, in 2014, the foundation donated over $6,000 to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.[14] Since the foundation's inception, Chicken Salad Chick restaurants have served to generate "...more than $100,000 in donations to fight cancer and hunger in the communities it serves".[15] Barclay Smith is the director of the foundation.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Locations". Chicken Salad Chick. Retrieved June 11, 2024. As of June 6, 2024
  2. ^ "Atlanta Based Chicken Salad Chick Buys Locally Owned Piece of Cake" (Press release). November 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Chicken Salad Chick Grows In Texas With Second Houston Opening This Year" (Press release). Houston, TX: RestaurantNews.com. March 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "Locations". Chicken Salad Chick. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  5. ^ Liedke, Matthew (December 28, 2022). "More Stores on Tap for Virginia Chicken Salad Chick Franchisee". Franchise Times. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  6. ^ "Our Story". Chicken Salad Chick. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Thorn, Bret (February 12, 2015). "Breakout Brands 2015: Chicken Salad Chick". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  8. ^ "Spread the Word: Chicken Salad Chick Is No. 896 on the Inc. 5000 This Year!". Inc.com. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  9. ^ Rogers, Kate (October 20, 2016). "Business advice from some of America's fastest-growing companies". CNBC. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  10. ^ Coley, December 2020 Ben. "Snooze Notches Minority Investment from Brentwood Associates". FSR magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Kennedy, Bud (November 6, 2017). "Like chicken salad? Here's 15 flavors, from Southern to spicy". star-telegram. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  12. ^ Ruggiero, Loretta (April 19, 2019). "'Openings and Closings: Two Daphne's Mediterraneans, Chicken Salad Chick'". Houston Press. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Harper, Brad (August 28, 2014). "Chicken Salad Chick fights hunger, cancer". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  14. ^ "Chicken Salad Chick Supports Chattanooga Area Food Bank With Fundraiser". The Chattanoogan. December 22, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  15. ^ Berry, Lucy (May 14, 2014). "Chicken Salad Chick founders take home Alabama's 2014 Restaurateur of the Year award". The Birmingham News. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

Further reading

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