Operations

Chicken Salad Chick soars in 2021

Provided

February 11, 2022

In a year when many brands struggled, Chicken Salad Chick saw a nearly 50% increase in sales and added 30 restaurants. Specifically, it reported $255 million in systemwide sales, a 46% increase over 2020. In the second half of the year alone, the company outpaced the restaurant industry's average monthly sales growth by more than 14 percentage points, according to a company press release.

"The Chicken Salad Chick community — our fans and our dedicated restaurant teams and support center staff — continue to show us year after year how together we are stronger than any adversity we may be facing," Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick, said in the release. "There were challenges in 2021, but our brand grew right past them by expanding our continued focus on the Chick experience. Whether through in-restaurant dining, takeout, drive-thru, catering or third-party delivery, we brought our flavorful, made-from-scratch favorites to new and existing guests. Our sales and development momentum is setting us up for another strong year of enriching lives and serving others."

Other 2021 milestones included:

Rolled out third-party delivery through UberEats and DoorDash integrated with the brand's online ordering partner OLO/Rails, which grew to over 7% of total monthly system sales by the end of December 2021.
Branded box lunch catering options, which offer individualized portions of chicken salad meals, made up more than 75% of the company's catering product mix, resulting in a double-digit catering sales increase over 2019.
Opening of its 200th location in LaGrange, Georgia.
Highest ever sales for each of the company's brand calendar events including Guest Appreciation Day in January, Mother's Day 2 Day Celebration in May and Veteran's Day in November.
Significantly grew the Annual Giving Card program, which raises money for the CSC Foundation to support childhood cancer and feeding the hungry. The anticipated donation amount for 2021 is 50% higher than the previous year.
Launched seasonal flavors such as Deck The Holly, a holiday twist adding cranberries to the popular Holly Jalapeño chicken salad.

"Our brand has been focused on made-from-scratch menu items with distinct flavor profiles from the beginning and will continue to be because we know that is what our guests crave," Deviney said. "Whether it's fresh ingredients in our restaurants or new chicken salad flavors created by our innovative team, Chicken Salad Chick's creativity on the menu helps us stand out in the crowded fast casual marketplace."

Chicken Salad Chick continues to target states like Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

Founded in 2008, in Auburn, Alabama Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 200 restaurants in 17 states.