Chicken Salad Chick, the Atlanta-headquartered fast-casual chain that bills itself as the nation's only restaurant concept dedicated exclusively to chicken salad, will open its first Utah location on June 9, bringing the brand's total state count to 23.
The new unit is situated at 2093 W. Pleasant Grove Blvd in Valley Grove, a mixed-use commercial corridor in Pleasant Grove. The opening marks the brand's latest step in a multi-year geographic expansion that has carried it beyond its Southeastern base into new regional markets.
The Utah entry is a measurable milestone for a concept that has positioned regional whitespace as a core growth lever. Reaching 23 states underscores the chain's continued push to convert territories where fast-casual chicken salad has no dedicated incumbent competitor — a positioning argument operators and franchisees have used to justify unit-level economics in newer markets. The fast-casual segment broadly has proved resilient, with consumers trading down from full-service dining while continuing to seek differentiated menu platforms, a dynamic explored in recent franchise-expansion coverage on this network.
To drive trial and local awareness at the Pleasant Grove opening, Chicken Salad Chick will award free chicken salad for one year to the first 100 guests in line — a promotional mechanic the chain has deployed consistently at new-market debuts to generate foot traffic and social amplification. Grand-opening incentive programs of this type have become a standard playbook element for emerging fast-casual brands competing for share-of-stomach against entrenched regional players, as noted in consumer-trends analysis published earlier this year.
Chicken Salad Chick has not disclosed unit-level revenue figures, total system-wide store count, or franchisee investment ranges in connection with this announcement. The company is backed by private equity and does not report publicly. Further details on the brand's broader 2026 development pipeline had not been released at press time.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
