News

Cowboy Chicken pushing forward on five-year growth strategy

November 12, 2018

Dallas-based Cowboy Chicken is pushing ahead on a five-year growth strategy driven, in large part, by Chief Strategy Officer Kip Kolow and CEO and President Sean Kennedy.

Kolow is the co-founder of Boston Market and joined the wood-fired rotisserie brand as a consultant last year and was named chief strategy officer this past January, according to a press release.

Kolow is working with President and CEO Sean Kennedy to strengthen systems in order to drive growth for the wood-fired rotisserie brand, according to the release.

"Cowboy Chicken is a differentiated concept — one of only two national rotisserie chicken brands," said Kolow, who co-founded the Boston Market chain in 1985, in the release. "That means we stand out in a sea of burgers, pizza, Asian and burrito chains that have over-proliferated, and we have a great opportunity with lots of white space available for growth. Our management team is getting stronger, and we are preparing to expand."

Kolow and Kennedy initially met in 2013, at an industry tradeshow, and connected over shared experiences with national rotisserie chicken chains. Kolow joined Cowboy Chicken in the summer of 2017 as a consultant, reviewing all facets of the brand’s business and developing a framework for growth.

"Kip is a master of details and operating systems," said Kennedy in the release. "He also co-created one of the first from-scratch fast casual brands, and I knew Cowboy Chicken would benefit greatly from his expertise in setting up scalable systems for multi-unit companies."

Kolow and Kennedy are implementing a five-year plan for expansion that includes scalable systems for food production, an improved franchise communication system and infrastructure, accounting protocols and more strategic real estate initiatives.

Founded in Dallas in 1981, Cowboy Chicken has been included in Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers & Shakers list every year since 2012.