Chicken Salad Chick hones in on the Midwest as key region for development

An aggressive expansion strategy has seen the brand set the goal of signing 50 deals for new locations across seven states by 2025.

The southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken concept has announced aggressive expansion plans. The brand plans to add 50 new locations by 2025 across the Midwest via strategic franchise partnerships.

This aggressive plan follows on for a strong year for Chicken Salad Chick after signing 17 agreements year-to-date, and a further 40 locations are slated to open before the year-end. The brand has also recorded a 17.1 per cent increase over 2019.

The Midwest is already home to 15 successful locations across Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio. Chicken Salad Chick seek franchisees to open a certain number of locations in the following states:

• Illinois – Upwards of 15 restaurants in Springfield, Champaign and Chicago suburbs

• Indiana – 10 restaurants in Lafayette, Fort Wayne and South Bend

• Iowa – 12 restaurants in Des Moines, Ames, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Davenport and Iowa City

• Kansas – Up to nine restaurants in North Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan/Junction City, North Kansas City, Olathe, Topeka and Wichita

• Missouri – Seven restaurants in the North Kansas City and Cape Girardeau communities

• Nebraska – Up to eight restaurants in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island

• Ohio – 20 restaurants across Akron, Cleveland, Toledo and Youngstown

Development in the Midwest will kick off with a new location in Lee’s Summit, Missouri; planned to open in spring 2022. The brand has signed more deals in the state, and will bring locations to Springfield, Columbia and Jefferson City. There are also upcoming agreements in Aurora and Macedonia, Ohio.

“Growing our presence across the Midwest is an exciting chapter for our growth story as we break into untapped markets with new franchise partners,” said Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick.

“Our initial success throughout the region tells us that now is an opportune time to build on that foundation, and we look forward to working with enthusiastic franchise partners who align with our mission.

“We have aggressive growth goals for the next five years, and plan to break into the tight-knit, community-centric cities across the Midwest where we know our concept with thrive.”

The brand is enjoying a strong year and recently reached the milestone of 200 locations, and plans to reach 500 by 2025