Chicken Salad Chick Expands Midwest Presence with Five New Signed Agreements

October 16, 2024

ATLANTA, Georgia - Chicken Salad Chick, the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announces the signing of five separate franchise agreements that will bring new restaurants to the Midwest. The locations in Coralville, IA and Kansas City, MO are slated to open in Fall 2024. While locations in Naperville, IL, Lake County, IL, and Strongsville, OH are expected to welcome customers in 2025. These deals add to the brand’s existing footprint in the Midwest and demonstrate their commitment to aggressive franchise growth across the region.

Behind the Deals:

Pat & Melissa Ingle – Coralville, IA

Husband and wife, Pat and Melissa, plan to open their location in Coralville in Fall 2024, with two more restaurants on the way.
Prior to joining Chicken Salad Chick, Melissa owned and operated a Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise whereas Pat worked at Melissa’s family’s rental and party store for 15 years.
Pat and Melissa fell in love with Chicken Salad Chick’s menu and believe their community is need of a healthier fast casual restaurant.

Kendra & Alan Greenwood – Kansas City, MO

Spearheading the growth in Kansas City is another husband-wife duo, Kendra and Alan Greenwood. Their Chicken Salad Chick location in Lee’s Summit, MO is slated for a Fall 2024 opening, with two more underway.
Kendra and Alan each have over 25 years of experience in the medical field. Alan is an administrator of surgery centers and Kendra is a Lead Materials Coordinator for surgery centers.
The couple joined Chicken Salad Chick after discovering their family values align and the brand shares a similar passion for community outreach.

Karen White – Naperville, IL

Mother of three daughters and experienced franchisee, Karen plans to open her Naperville location in Fall 2025.
After spending most of her career in public and private accounting, Karen made the jump to franchising when she purchased her own Dairy Queen. Her combined love of the food industry and Chicken Salad Chick’s incredible reputation motivated her to become a multi-brand owner.
Karen was drawn to Chicken Salad Chick for their simple concept, franchisee support, and the story of how the brand started.

Kevin Murata – Lake County, IL

Behind the first Chicken Salad Chick franchise in Lake County is multi-brand owner Kevin Murata, who currently owns a Camp Bow Wow in McHenry, IL. His restaurant is slated to open in 2025.
Before becoming a franchisee, Kevin worked as an IT Professional for 15 years in Chicago. Alongside being a multi-brand owner, he also works in real estate.
During his visit to Chicken Salad Chick’s headquarters, he knew there was something special about the brand with its positive culture and unique concept that is unmatched in the industry.

Rene Frank – Strongsville, OH

The first-time franchisee and mother of three is expected to open her Strongsville location in Fall 2025 – the first Chicken Salad Chick in the Greater-Cleveland Area.
After working as a personal trainer for 26 years, Rene decided to invest in Chicken Salad Chick when she fell in love with the brand’s food, culture, and growth opportunities.
Chicken Salad Chick’s motto of “spread joy, enrich lives, serve others” resonated with Rene and sold her the brand’s commitment to bringing joy to their customers.

“There is something truly special about Chicken Salad Chick,” said Rene Frank, a Chicken Salad Chick franchisee in Strongsville, OH. “As a first-time franchisee, Chicken Salad Chick made the process of starting my own business smooth and efficient. I’m over the moon to bring Chicken Salad Chick to northeast Ohio and introduce this delicious food to a new market.”

Chicken Salad Chick has a strong presence in the Midwest, with dozens of locations across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio. These new agreements will bring Chicken Salad Chick to Cleveland, Kansas City, and eastern Iowa for the first time, marking the next step in their continued growth throughout the region. Along with entering those three new markets, Chicken Salad Chick is opening two more locations in the Chicagoland area, the third largest market in the United States.

“We’re thrilled to expand our presence to new markets in the Midwest,” said Mark Verges, VP of Franchise Development at Chicken Salad Chick. “These signed agreements show a clear appetite for fresh, made-from-scratch chicken salad in the fast casual space. The Ingles, Greenwoods, Karen, Kevin, and Rene all come from different backgrounds, but their love and passion for the Chicken Salad Chick brand is the same.”

Chicken Salad Chick’s investment opportunity and multiple revenue streams have quickly gained attention among local families and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in pursuing the franchise opportunity.

The brand continues to bring its gracious hospitality and fresh fare to new markets, seeing a 13% increase in unit count year-over-year. According to the 2024 FDD, in addition to this impressive growth, Chicken Salad Chick reported over $353 million in system wide sales, a 38% increase over 2021 and grew to record-setting AUV of $1.5 million.

To learn more about opportunities with Chicken Salad Chick 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 more than 270 restaurants in 19 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team headquartered in Atlanta, 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 ranked top 3 in the nation in 2024 , QSR’s Best Franchise Deals for the second consecutive year and recognized at No. 134 on Nation’s Restaurant News 2024 Top 500, spotlighting the biggest restaurants in America by systemwide sales. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.