Chicken Salad Chick Tops 350 Restaurants, Enters 5 New States in 2026

Chicken Salad Chick has passed 350 restaurants, and the chain is picking up speed.

The Atlanta-based brand, which bills itself as the nation’s only fast-casual chicken salad concept, operates in 27 states. Fast-casual means counter service a notch above fast food, and Chicken Salad Chick serves more than a dozen made-from-scratch chicken salad flavors.

The company opened 42 locations across 14 states during a record 2025. It says 2026 is on pace to top that. This year, it has awarded more than 100 franchise units, meaning independent owners signed on to open that many restaurants. The chain entered five new states: Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia.

For a brand that started in Auburn, Alabama, in 2008, that’s a big change of scenery. After years close to its Southeastern roots, Chicken Salad Chick is heading into the Midwest, Mountain West and Northeast.

In upstate New York, the company signed the largest development agreement in its history: a 25-unit deal covering Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and the Upper Hudson Valley. Pennsylvania restaurants are open or in development in Allentown, Collegeville and South Pittsburgh. West Virginia sites include Barboursville and South Charleston.

Chicken Salad Chick credits much of that growth to experienced multi-unit operators, franchise owners who run several restaurants at once.

“Surpassing 350 restaurants is a proud milestone, but what excites us most is who is helping us get there,” said Mark Verges, vice president of franchise development at Chicken Salad Chick. “Every new state we enter is led by owners who share our mission to Spread Joy, Enrich Lives, and Serve Others®. That commitment is what allows us to grow at this pace without losing sight of the hospitality that has defined Chicken Salad Chick since day one.”

In 2026, YouGov named the chain No. 1 on its Top 20 U.S. Emerging Dining Brands list, and Fast Casual has placed it in the top three of its Top 100 Movers & Shakers for six consecutive years.

The brand has almost 350 more locations in its development pipeline, meaning restaurants that owners have committed to build but haven’t opened. That’s close to a second chain waiting in the wings. Chicken Salad Chick is courting franchise partners across the Northeast, with territories open in New Jersey, New York and central Pennsylvania. If owners build out that pipeline, the chicken salad shop from Auburn could double its footprint.