Dive Brief:
- Chicken Salad Chick is accelerating growth in the Northeast with development agreements signed in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the company said in a press release.
- These agreements include a 25-unit deal in New York that was signed earlier this year to add restaurants to the Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Albany markets.
- The fast casual chain has rapidly expanded in recent years, signing 100 franchise deals and opening 42 locations across 14 states last year.
Dive Insight:
The fast casual chain, which has 345 units across 26 states, is on a path to nearly double its restaurant count, with a development pipeline of over 300 units.
“The Northeast represents one of our most exciting growth regions, and we're just getting started,” said Mark Verges, vice president of franchise development at Chicken Salad Chick. “We’re focused on partnering with experienced entrepreneurs who will help us grow the brand in a way that stays true to the culture and hospitality that have defined the brand since day one.”
Chicken Salad Chick said it had territories remaining in New Jersey, central Pennsylvania and Long Island, New York. The Northeast has strong consumer demand, the company said, making this region an “increasingly important market.”
The chain has been particularly successful in attracting interest from Millennials and Gen Z operators, which have become a key part of the chain’s growth strategy. Chicken Salad Chick offers significant corporate support from operations and has a model that combines small-business flexibility with the safety of a big brand.
Chicken Salad Chick’s unit count has increased significantly in the past few years, growing from 224 units at the start of 2023 to 326 at the end of 2025, according to a franchise disclosure document. Franchising has made up a bulk of that growth, with operators opening net new units of 93 from 2023 to 2025. Franchised restaurants have an average unit volume of about $1.5 million.
