Franchising
Slim Chickens moving into Montana
July 1, 2020
Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Slim Chickens is expanding to Montana with existing multi-unit franchisee Mike Sartwell, who will eventually open four units in the state. The first location, which is a conversion, is at 1450 Prospect Ave., in Helena.
Sartwell has an extensive portfolio of . His portfolio consists of quick-service and fast-casual brands.
"Our group has developed Slim Chickens restaurants in North Dakota, and with the breathtaking success of our first opening last year, we knew we wanted to quickly expand our agreement with the brand," said Sartwell, who owns restaurants in North Dakota, Montana, Missouri and Illinois "Once we found the real estate, we moved swiftly. The first restaurant we developed was a conversion and was the most successful opening in the brand's history, so we felt leveraging an existing site for our first Slim Chickens restaurant in Montana made sense, especially right now."
The franchise agreement signed in Montana is one of six multi-unit agreements the brand locked up during the coronavirus pandemic. Since February, Slim Chickens has added 38 restaurants to its development pipeline.
"Mike is the ideal franchise partner for Slim Chickens," Jackie Lobdell, executive director of franchise development at Slim Chickens, said in the release. "As an experienced operator, he understands that now is the time to expand with a brand like ours. After growing year-over-year sales since the pandemic and signing nearly 40 new units, we have an unmatched runway for growth. With real estate available in markets coast to coast, the time is now to diversify with a brand equipped for the future of our industry."
The better-chicken brand has opened 100 locations in the United States, the United Kingdom and Kuwait and has more than 400 units in development.
Last year, Slim Chickens attracted an equity investment from 10 Point Capital, the private equity firm behind segment leader Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
