Chicken Salad Chick adds 50-plus restaurants to pipeline in Q1
Chicken Salad Chick is touting a "record" first quarter when it comes to expanding its store count nationwide.
The fast-casual chicken salad chain awarded 52 new restaurants in the first quarter of 2026, marking a nearly 50% increase compared to 35 deals in the first quarter of 2025. Chicken Salad Chick says this makes Q1 2026 the strongest quarter of franchise development in company history.
The quarter was driven by both new and existing operators, with seven new franchise groups joining the system and two existing franchisees expanding through multi-unit agreements. Chicken Salad Chick also entered several key markets in the quarter, including Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix and upstate New York.
[READ MORE: Chicken Salad Chick plots Nevada debut amid ongoing expansion]
With the new agreements, the chain has more than 300 locations in its development pipeline. The growth follows a record 2025, when it awarded nearly 100 new restaurants and opened 42 locations across 14 states.
"This is a defining start to the year for our brand," said Mark Verges, VP of franchise development at Chicken Salad Chick. "Nearly 50% year-over-year growth in Q1 speaks to the strength of our model, the quality of our franchise partners, and the increasing demand for a concept built on hospitality, simplicity, and strong unit-level economics."
In addition to signing new agreements, Chicken Salad Chick added new faces to its C-suite in the first quarter. Earlier this month, the chain named Brian Lindley as its new chief development officer to support the brand’s expansion goals. In March, Jill Thomas was named to the role of chief marketing officer.
Founded in 2008 in Auburn, Ala., Chicken Salad Chick operates more than 330 restaurants across 22 states. The chain is known for its dozen-plus varieties of made-from-scratch chicken salad flavors, side salads, soups, signature sandwiches and desserts.
