After the recent unveiling of their 100th unit in Little Rock, Arkansas, fast-causal restaurant chain Slim Chickens is poised for further growth.
The brand plans to open an additional 31 units in 2020. Expansion plans will focus on the South, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, bringing the fast-casual chain to 23 states across the U.S.
“With every new store brings a renewed dedication to customers, to stay true to our original mission and true to our roots,” their website says.
Slim Chickens is based in Fayetteville, Arkansas and currently has franchise locations in 14 states. In 2019, the brand opened 21 new restaurants in 2019 in Colorado, North Dakota and Tennessee. The restaurant chain –which unveiled its first food truck last year – also has six franchised units in the United Kingdom and two in the Middle East.
The brand’s Southern-inspired menu offers buttermilk-marinated chicken tenders made to order with a choice of 17 individually portioned dipping sauces, sandwiches, wings, chicken and waffles and wraps.
Chicken was a top trend in 2019 and industry insiders are optimistic that it will continue to be a popular menu item.
Key investment fuels growth
A July 2019 investment from 10 Point Capital has helped the brand grow. The company say it hopes to open 600 new units by the year 2030.
“We now have a strategic partner that’s significantly grown another brand – [Atlanta-based] Tropical Smoothie Café – so they bring a lot of systems and processes and forward-thinking that has complemented what we had already been doing with the brand,” Sam Rothschild, a Slim partner and chief operating officer, told Nation’s Restaurant News.
New prototypes for stand-alone units
Slim Chickens recently unveiled two prototypes for new units. One, a 2,400-square-foot restaurant with a patio, can fit 80 customers. The second protype features a 2,800-square-foot design that can fit 100 inside and 30 on the patio.
Non-traditional formats are also available for units going in football stadiums, college campuses, malls and transportation stations.
“We’ve made advances in the interior and exterior of the prototype. We’ve upgraded technology with online ordering, app, rewards program. We’ve done additions to the menu,” Rothschild said.
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