Chicken Salad Chick targets Midwest, Southwest and Mid-Atlantic for expansion

Chicken Salad Chick is moving into new markets as it continues its aggressive expansion.

The fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept is on track to open 40 stores by the end of this year, including in the new markets of New Mexico, Maryland and Fairfax County, Va.

Chicken Salad Chick said it has signed 18 franchise agreements with both new and existing franchisees to develop 53 new restaurants during the next several years. The expansion will include Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia and Maryland.

The company opened 32 new restaurants across 14 states in 2023, including Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. The growth also included the first-ever Chicken Salad Chick location in Colorado, making the fast-casual concept now available in 18 states. 

Also in 2023, the company acquired Atlanta bakery chain Piece of Cake, with the goal of expanding and enhancing its dessert menu across all Chicken Salad Chick locations.

“We accomplished another great year in 2023 with disciplined growth balanced between new and existing markets, and new and existing franchisees," said Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick, which ended 2023 with more than 250 restaurants in 18 states. "We couldn’t be more pleased with our brand’s growth, and we look forward to a successful 2024.”

Chicken Salad Chick totaled $350 million in systemwide sales in 2023, marking a 15% surge from 2022 and reaching an AUV of nearly $1.5 million.

The company has franchise availabilities in Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, where the brand currently operates, as well as in new development states such as Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Maryland.  

Dedicated to serving its communities, Chicken Salad Chick restaurant teams engage in philanthropy by raising funds for local food banks and the national nonprofit CURE Childhood Cancer through the annual Giving Card promotion. Since 2017, the Chicken Salad Chick Foundation has contributed over $2 million to these causes. In 2023, the annual Giving Card program alone gathered over $525,000, while the brand raised $40,000 through its annual Cookies for a CURE program.