Franchising

Chicken Salad Chick, SoFresh opening Florida locations

Provided

January 13, 2021

Auburn, Alabama-based Chicken Salad Chick and Tampa-based SoFresh are expanding in Florida with Chicken Salad Chick opening in Coral Springs and SoFresh opening this week in Lakeland's Lake Miriam Plaza.

Kicking off a string of development in the state, the Coral Springs Chicken Salad Chick marks the brand's first Florida opening this year with additional locations planned for St. Petersburg, Ocala, Gainesville and Wellington, according to a company press release.

The restaurant, which is located at 2908 North University Dr., at The Walk of Coral Springs, will make its South Florida debut on Jan. 27 and is celebrating by offering free chicken salad for a year to the first 100 guests. Those awarded will be properly distanced and will receive a designated return time upon arrival to spread out the number of guests at the restaurant throughout the day, according to the release.

Claibourne Rogers and Nicholas Rogers of The Rogers Group LLC signed on as franchisees after Claibourne served as an account director for Chicken Salad Chick's public relations agency, Fish Consulting.

From assisting with grand-opening strategies to boosting consumer awareness of the brand's offerings, she was an integral part of the Chicken Salad Chick team and when presented with the opportunity to open the brand's first restaurant in South Florida, the Rogers couldn't resist.

"When I started working with Chicken Salad Chick, I immediately fell in love with the founder's story, the corporate team and the brand's values," Claibourne Rogers said in the release. "The only downside was that there wasn't a location near me! So any time I would visit the Auburn headquarters for meetings, I would fill my carry on bag with as much chicken salad as I could fit and share with my coworkers, family and friends. They quickly became hooked and I knew then that Chicken Salad Chick would be the perfect addition to Coral Springs' growing restaurant scene."

Chicken Salad Chick has than 175 restaurants in 17 states.

SoFresh Lakeland opened Wednesday, offering 50% off all orders and giving customers prizes sponsored by local retailers.

"Lakeland is a booming Central Florida market," Clay Donato, SoFresh partner and vice president of development, said in a company press release. "We are very excited to bring SoFresh to Lakeland and be able to serve the area with our menu items which include vegan and gluten free options."

SoFresh has 14 locations open or committed to open in Florida and Pennsylvania with several others in development.