Slim Chickens expanding into Montana with multi-unit franchise agreement

Slim Chickens, the growing “better chicken” franchise brand with 100 locations across the U.S., U.K., and Kuwait, has announced a partnership with experienced multi-unit restaurant operator Mike Sartwell which will bring the concept into the new market of Montana. Four new Montana locations are in development, with the first, a conversion, being located at 1450 Prospect Ave. in Helena.

“Our group has developed Slim Chickens restaurants in North Dakota, and with the breathtaking success of our first opening last year, we knew we wanted to quickly expand our agreement with the brand,” said Sartwell. “Once we found the real estate, we moved swiftly. The first restaurant we developed was a conversion and was the most successful opening in the brand’s history, so we felt leveraging an existing site for our first Slim Chickens restaurant in Montana made sense, especially right now.”

This agreement is one of six multi-unit deals signed during the coronavirus pandemic, and since February 2020, Slim Chickens has added 38 restaurants to its development pipeline. In total, the brand has more than 400 new locations in development, with a goal to open 600 restaurants.

“Mike is the ideal franchise partner for Slim Chickens. As an experienced operator, he understands that now is the time to expand with a brand like ours,” said Jackie Lobdell, executive director of franchise development at Slim Chickens. “After growing year-over-year sales since the pandemic and signing nearly 40 new units, we have an unmatched runway for growth.”