---
title: "Chicken Salad Chick hires Popeyes exec to lead franchised growth"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/bdf34090-bc75-4411-a371-ab6b11217289
source: "Restaurant Dive"
original_url: https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chicken-salad-chicken-chief-development-officer-smaller-footprints/817364/
category: "Chicken"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Chicken"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T14:29:26.989Z
image: https://imgproxy.divecdn.com/dF12hc1dXklHdVWAa5RE7KV-9ixT8LbbPaYXDJOV82Q/g:ce/rs:fit:770:435/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9DaGlja2VuX1NhbGFkX0NoaWNrXzMwMHRoX0xvY2F0aW9uLmpwZw==.webp
---

# Chicken Salad Chick hires Popeyes exec to lead franchised growth

**TL;DR:** Chicken Salad Chick has hired Brian Lindley, formerly Vice President of Development at Popeyes Louisiana Chicken, as its Chief Development Officer to lead franchised growth and expansion. Lindley brings significant QSR experience from his stints at Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, and Restaurant Brands International.

*originally published in Restaurant Dive on 2026-04-14. [Read the original](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chicken-salad-chicken-chief-development-officer-smaller-footprints/817364/).*

## Key facts

- Brian Lindley joins as chief development officer
- Lindley brings QSR experience from Popeyes and Chick-fil-A
- Chicken Salad Chick has 330+ stores across 22 states

## Story

Brian Lindley joins the chain as it continues franchised expansion, particularly with younger operators, while reducing the operating costs of its stores.

New title: Chief development officer, Chicken Salad Chick

Previous title: Vice president of development, Popeyes Louisiana Chicken

## Leadership and growth

Chicken Salad Chick said in a Monday release that Lindley is tasked with leading the growing chain’s development strategy.

Lindley brings significant QSR experience in “in site selection, dealmaking and scaling brands across diverse markets” from stints at Chick-fil-A and Restaurant Brands International, according to the announcement. According to his LinkedIn profile, Lindley most recently served as VP of development for Popeyes Louisiana Chicken. His Chick-fil-A tenure lasted for more than a decade, giving him ample experience with growing a QSR brand.

That experience should prove useful for the chicken salad franchise, which has announced four openings just in the last week. The brand said in February that it plans to enter the Nevada market . The chain currently has at least 330 stores across 22 states. Lindley will support the chain’s plans to open its first locations in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia later this year. The chain has said it is seeing growing interest from younger franchisees interested in its brand support and the autonomy offered by a franchised system.

## Unit economics strategy

Chicken Salad Chick is looking to Lindley to help it reduce the space requirements and occupancy costs for its restaurants, which would improve unit economics and expand the amount of real estate available to the chain. The brand hopes to be more flexible in site selection within retail spaces and non-traditional venues, according to the press release.

A wide variety of chains have shifted toward an emphasis on non-traditional development in recent years. Airports, travel centers and other such locales offer built-in foot traffic for chains looking to capture more diners. The chains interested in these avenues of expansion range from casual dining — Dine Brands is looking at airports as ideal locations for dual branded IHOP/Applebee’s — to QSR snack concepts, like Auntie Anne’s .

- Why Chicken Salad Chick is driving interest from millennial, Gen Z franchisees By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 24, 2026

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- Chick-fil-A (company)
- leadership change (topic)
- Chicken Salad Chick (company)
- Restaurant Dive (publication)
- qsr growth (topic)
- unit economics (topic)
- Restaurant Brands International (company)
- Brian Lindley (person)
- franchised expansion (topic)
- Popeyes Louisiana Chicken (company)

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Originally reported by Restaurant Dive (https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chicken-salad-chicken-chief-development-officer-smaller-footprints/817364/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/bdf34090-bc75-4411-a371-ab6b11217289).