Chicken Salad Chick

Stacy and Kevin Brown emptied out their cupboard on a mission. Their object was to think of any food they had seen restaurants pair with chicken and test it out in chicken salad.  

Some were horrendously bad, Kevin Brown said, but 12 became menu items for their first Chicken Salad Chick restaurant when it opened in Auburn in 2008. All 12 came with whimsical names after friends or family members.

“Our intent was to appeal to all chicken salad lovers,” Kevin said. “Everyone likes it a little different and has a little different palate. Some like it with fruit, some like it classic, some like it with onions.”

Now those 12, plus three more, are available at the new location for the restaurant in the Village at Lee Branch, scheduled to open Sept. 30. 

The remaining three chicken salad varieties on the menu came from outside the Browns’ kitchen.

Kickin’ Kay Lynne, a combination of Buffalo sauce, ranch, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and jalapenos, was born of an employee’s request.

Stacy’s best friend in kindergarten in Rome, Georgia, was a little bit offended there was no salad named for her on the original menu, so she came to the restaurant with a packet of ranch dressing, cheese and bacon. Today you’ll find chicken salad with those three ingredients if you order the Sassy Scotty, one of the top sellers for the restaurant. 

“Our idea from top to bottom is to have fun with this,” Kevin said.

The two top sellers at Chicken Salad Chick are the Classic Carol, your basic formula of chicken, mayo, celery and seasonings, and Fancy Nancy, which is dressed up with Fuji apples, pecans and seedless grapes.

Kevin said it can challenge a guy’s manhood to order “Fruity Fran” or “Nutty Nana” aloud, but other flavors are more popular with men. Buffalo Barclay is a little spicy, almost like Buffalo chicken dip, and is popular around football season.

Chicken Salad Chick customers are typically around 80 percent female when they first open, but contrary to what you might think, Kevin said women start to bring their spouses and coworkers, who eventually bring other men when they find the food is good. He said they see a 65/35 female/male mix in restaurants that have been open longer.

At the restaurant, you can order chicken salad by the pound, or on a sandwich or as a scoop with a side and cookie. If by chance a customer doesn’t want chicken salad, the menu also includes deli turkey, roast beef, ham and pimento cheese.

They also offer a soup the day, featuring top seller Classic Loaded Potato, Chicken & Artichoke Florentine (Kevin’s favorite), Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese and Chicken & Wild Rice.

Chicken Salad Chick now has more than 25 franchised locations and is looking to add an additional 40 across the Southeast next year, but they have long had their eye on the Birmingham market. 

“We feel like Birmingham is a gateway market for us, with it being the largest market in state where we are founded,” Kevin said. “We feel like it will open up new markets in areas where we don’t have locations.”

In addition to Lee Branch, SoHo in Homewood and downtown Birmingham locations are in the works.

The Lee Branch location will also serve as a training facility for managers and owners for other markets.

 “We are excited to be next to Publix and eateries we feel like share our same customer that appreciates a fresh alterative to burgers and fast food,” Kevin said. “Folks in Birmingham have been almost to the point of begging us to come.”