Operations

Chicken Salad Chick moving HQs to Atlanta

Provided

February 10, 2021

Chicken Salad Chick is moving its headquarters from Auburn, Alabama, to Atlanta, with the office space opening in the first quarter of 2021 at the Vinings at the Overlook II building. It will house the leadership team, which includes about 40 employees. Chicken Salad Chick's 17 Auburn-based corporate employees will transition to the new headquarters by May, and the chain will hire 20 Atlanta-area executives.

"Atlanta has always fostered a nurturing business environment for companies to kickstart their growth," CEO Scott Deviney said in a company press release. "This relocation positions Chicken Salad Chick to scale at an accelerated rate and meet aggressive growth goals, while allowing us to broaden our vision for the future. We've seen increased interest from Atlanta's diverse and talented workforce, and the city's airport allows us swift access to prospective vendors and a growing pool of interested franchisees."

Chicken Salad Chick promoted three Atlanta-based executives to its c-suite, including Jim Thompson as chief operating officer, Terry McKee as chief development officer and Tom Carr as chief marketing officer. Most recently, Atlantans Marianna Magee, Jon Musser, Mary Lou Atkins and Kim Bolinger were named director of marketing, director of supply chain, VP of human resources and director of operations for the Atlanta market, respectively.

Chicken Salad Chick was founded in 2008, in Auburn, Alabama, by Stacy Brown and her late husband, Kevin Brown.

"Auburn will forever be the special place in which Chicken Salad Chick was created and its home for the past 13 years. It gives me great joy to know that the loving, welcoming culture that started in our southern, Auburn community has now spread to so many others, far and wide," Brown said in the release. "Moving the headquarters to Atlanta will support the company in achieving long-term growth as we work toward making Chicken Salad Chick better for the future while still allowing our local restaurant teams to provide the same welcoming experience our guests have come to know and love."

Chicken Salad Chick opened 37 stores in 2020 and will add nearly 40 by year's end. It will continue its expansion to four more states within the next two years and projects a portfolio of 500 locations by the end of 2025.

"Chicken Salad Chick's decision to expand their Georgia presence by bringing their headquarters to the state is a testament to our diverse talent pipeline and to the state's international reputation as a hub for the food and beverage industry," said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. "Georgia is already home to more Chicken Salad Chick locations than any other state, with several employees in company leadership already here. By bringing their headquarters to Cobb County, Georgia, I'm confident they will continue to find greater success to support their growth plans."

Georgia is home to 32 Chicken Salad Chick locations, the largest number in any state across the brand's footprint of 17 states.

More food franchises are headquartered in Atlanta than any other city, according to a survey of more than 1,800 brands by franchise research firm FRANdata.