Stacy Brown knew she wanted to make the perfect chicken salad. She practiced, practiced and practiced until she perfected it. She began selling it to friends, family and neighbors out of her home. In a tiny kitchen in Auburn, Alabama Chicken Salad Chick was born.
“Our food is fresh, we make it everyday right behind that wall over there,” Brad Cochran, franchise owner of the Fowler Avenue location, said.
It is one of their many locations throughout the south. His wife, Tammy, was Stacy Brown’s roommate in college. They bought into the business after eating at one of the locations in Georgia.
“We are a fast casual restaurant,” Cochran said. “We have 16 flavors of the best chicken salad in the south.”
Chicken salad chick shreds its chicken to be like pulled pork. The chicken salad has very little mayonnaise or in Cochran’s terms, a “smidgen.” However, people don’t just come for the food; they also come for the service.
“I always know I’m going to be have a good time when I’m at work,” Kristina Hamp, employee and corporate trainer, said. “We all appreciate each other and help each other out.”
Chicken Salad Chick is family friendly. From the minute you walk in the door you are greeted with a smile. Employees try to create that welcoming atmosphere. It is a family run business and they make you feel like a family. Jazzy Julie, one of the flavors, is named after Stacy Brown’s sister-in-law.
“The food is literally named after the family,” Morgan Blake, a frequent customer, said.
The flavors range from spicy all the way to fruity. The most popular flavor, Fancy Nancy, is a combination of apples, pecans and seedless grapes. Family is important to Chicken Salad Chick and so are its employees.
“I’m not just a worker to them,”Hamp said. “I have a name.”
Hamp has been working at Chicken Salad Chick since it opened one year ago. The Tampa location recently celebrated its first anniversary on September 22.
“I’ve been looking forward to it a lot because of how far we’ve come,” Hamp said. “They planned so much for this week.”
Chicken Salad Chick had several promotions throughout the week. The restaurant gave out free tumblers, T-shirts, selfie sticks and pounds of chicken salad. There was something to do everyday. One its anniversary it attracted a line of 80 people outside.
“I was like the second or third person there and I got a free pound of chicken salad,” Blake said.
The Tampa location finally accomplished its sales goal on its anniversary. The store made $5,000 in one day. The business continues to grow as Chicken Salad Chick plans to open five new locations in the Tampa area.
“We are doing well,” Cochran said. “We continue to do better and better each week and month.”
Chicken Salad Chick has customers who come from near and far. The restaurant gets a lot of USF students, faculty and staff. They even offer a 10% discount to both students and staff with a USF ID.
“Once people come in and taste our chicken salad, in most cases they will come back,” Cochran said.
Nation’s Restaurant News named the restaurant one of the 2015 “Breakout Brands,” with a $13.76 average per-person check total. Also the Florida Department of Business Professional Regulation confirms that they have passed their most recent inspections.
“ We try to have really good food, friendly service and a homey atmosphere that’s very clean,” Cochran said.
Chicken Salad stresses the cleanliness of the restaurant but also the quality of service and food, which is a simple concept that has worked for them.
“Each guest receives a superb experience every visit that creates a long-lasting memory,” Hamp said.