Chicken Salad Chick Closes 2021 on a High Note, Awards Over Half of Year's Development Agreements in Q4

Multi-Unit Agreements and Brand Milestones Fuel Fast Casual Concept's Immense Growth Signaling Strong Year Ahead

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Jan 31, 2022, 09:46 ET

AUBURN, Ala., Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only Southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, experienced a strong year for development in 2021. The brand celebrated the opening of over 30 new locations and awarded 32 franchise agreements throughout the year. Of these signed agreements, 19 were awarded in Q4 2021, signaling significant growth for the year ahead. On top of this impressive development, the rapidly growing brand celebrated a major milestone with the opening of its 200th location alongside the announcement of aggressive expansion plans across the Midwest with new territories available for purchase.

Notable franchise agreements included a five-unit deal signed in Florida, an eight-unit deal in San Antonio, and most recently, a three-unit deal in Greater Chicago and a five-unit deal in Colorado. The brand also inked deals across the state of Missouri, kickstarting the brand's plans to bring 50 locations to the Midwest within the next four years via strategic franchise partnerships.

"Without a doubt, 2021 proved to be successful year for us as we continued to spread joy across 17 states and be America's favorite place for chicken salad," said Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. "I am very grateful for the tireless efforts and dedication from our franchise owners, as well as our corporate support team, for helping us achieve development milestones. We kickstarted development in four new states and signed on new franchise owners that were on waiting lists to help us grow our nationwide footprint, setting us up with a launch pad for explosive growth and record-setting numbers in 2022!"

Chicken Salad Chick is on track to open more than 50 locations in 2022, with plans to sign agreements for 60 locations in the next year in target markets across the Midwest and on the East Coast. This will help propel the brand toward achieving its overall development goal to have 500 locations open and operating by the end of 2025.

To further nationwide expansion, Chicken Salad Chick has announced four new states that are open for the franchise opportunity: Colorado, New Mexico, Maryland and Pennsylvania. In addition to new states for opportunity, the brand is seeking single and multi-unit franchise partners in markets across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia, Northern Ohio and the Chicago suburbs.

Chicken Salad Chick continues to be recognized as a standout franchise system, being named one of QSR magazine's Best Franchise Deals for the second consecutive year, as well as being named #3 in Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers & Shakers in 2021 and #7 in the trade's Top 40 Smartest-Growing Franchises ranking for 2022, respectively. The brand was also highlighted as one of Entrepreneur magazine's Top Food Franchises of 2021 and has been listed in Franchise Times' Top 400 Ranking for 2021.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Chicken Salad Chick, contact Carrie Evans, Vice President of Franchise Development, at [email protected], call 214-733-0048 or visit http://www.chickensaladchick.com/franchising.

About Chicken Salad Chick
Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Founded in Auburn, Alabama by Stacy and Kevin Brown, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to 200 restaurants in 17 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in Franchise Times' Fast & Serious and Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers for the third consecutive year, QSR's Best Franchise Deals for the second consecutive year and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick