Article
'Better chicken' brand flying nationwide
Slim Chickens is on a mission to be a leading chicken concept.
April 25, 2014 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
With beef prices soaring and the segment nearly flooded with "better burger" concepts, more operators are giving chicken a harder look. In fact, the limited-service chicken category increased last year by 4.6 percent to $17.1 billion, with strong growth from Chick-Fil-A growing past KFC into the top position as the largest chicken chain, according to Darren Tristano of Technomic. Within the fast casual segment, Zaxby's is leading the pack and recently crossed the $1 billion sales threshold.
Although Zaxby's top competitors include El Pollo Loco, Boston Market, Wingstop and Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, Arkansas-based Slim Chickens plans to eventually top that "better chicken" list. Founders Greg Smart and Tom Gordon recently launched a franchising initiative in order to grow their 13 units to 20 brick-and-mortar locations by the end of the year, and plan to hit 600 by 2025.
"We have been in the midst of a 'healthier lifestyle' movement for quite some time now, and it's very apparent that consumers care about where their food comes from and how it will affect their health," Gordon said. "There's plenty of chicken places out there, but 'better chicken' is all about getting back to the basics with a fresh, quality product."
Focusing on chicken only, Slim Chickens, which has seen double-digit comp sales growth for the past three years, allows guests to order fresh chicken tender or chicken wing meals paired with their choice of eight handmade dipping sauces or eight handmade wing sauces. The chain, Smart said, aims to share traditional southern hospitality with its communities, while offering the convenience and affordability of fast casual, "but at a higher level culinary experience with quality food and a cool atmosphere." Smart pointed out that chicken has always been crowd favorite but consumers are demanding higher quality these days.
"Chicken tenders and chicken wings have been a staple menu item for thousands of restaurants for years and years," he said. "Bottom line is that consumers are looking for the best available product in all categories; there's a demand for better chicken."
Smart and Gordon are so confident that chicken is the "next big thing" they recently brought on franchise industry veteran Sam Rothschild, former COO of Hooters of America and SVP of Operations for Applebee's Services Inc., to help the company spread its wings. The chain, which is concentrating on Midwest and Texas expansion, already has franchise agreements in Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.; Kansas City and Lawrence, Kan.; and Lubbock, Amarillo and Midland, Texas. The team is also negotiating deals in Chattanooga and Nashville, Tenn.; Houston, Des Moines, Iowa; Shreveport, La.; and Tyler, Texas.
"The better burger segment has had its heyday," Smart said. "It was the big news in fast casual and QSR; several brands came in and competed to dominate the better burger segment, and now it's time for the next big thing"
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