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Top 100: Restaurants - Cowboy Chicken

Cowboy Chicken is ranked 21 on the 2014 edition of Fast Casual's Top 100: Restaurants.

February 22, 2015

Cowboy Chicken is ranked 21 on the 2014 edition of Fast Casual's Top 100: Restaurants.

Not bucking tradition is how Dallas-based Cowboy Chicken has thrived over its 30- year history, said the brand’s president, Sean Kennedy. “We are so set in our ways, and proud of our heritage, that we are still cooking with wood,” he said about the chain’s signature way of perfecting its chicken, which is always all natural and hormone free. 

Although the chain opened in 1981, it didn’t start growing until 2003, when Kennedy and his partner, Gillian Menter, purchased the single-location brand. The duo since has expanded the brand to nine locations and recently signed three new development agreements for five stores each. More deals are coming, Kennedy said. “We learned the brand, expanded the menu, enhanced systems and built our first new prototype store in late 2004,” he said. 

Kennedy opened a third corporate unit in 2008 and began franchising in 2009, opening two franchises in 2010, one each in 2011 and 2012 and one franchise and a corporate store last year. “I think growth happens in stages,” Kennedy said. “The first stage is slow and steady. It takes time to build a business with a good reputation, a great story and solid financial performance.”