“So you’re investing your entire life savings on a restaurant based entirely on chicken salad?! Good luck with that!” Stacy Brown, founder of Chicken Salad Chick, heard that sentiment countless times when she and husband, Kevin, first opened their small take-out window in Auburn, AL back in 2008. 56 restaurants later, Chicken Salad Chick is now one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country and shows no signs of slowing down.
As the Chicken Salad Chick franchisees for Fort Worth, my husband, John, and I are so grateful for the opportunity to share this one-of-a-kind concept with our community in Texas. Although I worked in Chicken Salad Chick’s corporate office and knew the brand very well, we had very little restaurant or small business experience when we first jumped into this adventure. After only a year into this journey, though, I can certainly say that we have absolutely loved the franchise experience and the numerous benefits of the process. John and I have gotten to struggle through the intense learning process of starting our own business, but we have also had qualified people and resources to guide us through the big picture as we navigate the details. This unique balance between autonomy and support has allowed us to enter an industry with the freedom and responsibility to manage people, operations and marketing, but to also grow a proven product and process. In a given hour at Chicken Salad Chick, you could hear the excited squeals of women who have just declared this as THE best chicken salad ever and can’t wait to inform others of this jewel they’ve personally discovered, while the next guest almost jumps over the counter to thank you for bringing their favorite concept from Auburn to their home state of Texas. In other words, John and I get to invest in our specific team members, guests and community while also participating in the growth of this exciting brand alongside fellow Chicken Salad Chick franchisees across the country.
So at the end of another long but fulfilling day in the restaurant industry, it’s pretty cool that we can rest assured knowing that we aren’t the only crazy ones basing our livelihood on 15 flavors of the best darn chicken salad in country.