A new Chicken Salad Chick unit is set to open August 19 in Morganton, N.C., the brand's latest move in a sustained North Carolina expansion that now spans multiple franchise territories. The location at 1016 Burkemont Avenue is owned and operated by Allison Anderson and Sunny Murtaza, who launched their first Chicken Salad Chick in Hickory in 2024.
The Operators
Anderson and Murtaza's two-unit footprint illustrates the brand's strategy of cultivating multi-unit franchisees rather than relying solely on single-store operators. Anderson, whose background includes public service and community engagement, said she was drawn to the brand after visiting a Bristol location in 2021. The Morganton restaurant will offer in-restaurant dining, take-out, third-party delivery, and catering — a service mix that has become standard across the chain's footprint as operators target both everyday dining and event revenue.
Scale and Competitive Context
Chicken Salad Chick now operates more than 345 restaurants across 25 states, a network built entirely around a single protein category — a focused positioning that has helped the brand carve out shelf space in a fast-casual segment dominated by broader-menu competitors. The chain's menu of more than a dozen made-from-scratch chicken salad varieties, alongside soups, sandwiches, and sides, targets a lunch-driven daypart that remains relatively underpenetrated by national fast-casual players. As covered in F&B Industry News's fast-casual franchise coverage, multi-unit deals of this type are increasingly the engine of growth for emerging chains seeking to scale without the capital intensity of corporate development.
Scott Deviney, president and CEO of Chicken Salad Chick, framed the opening as evidence of franchisee-led momentum. "Allison and Sunny have already built something special with their first restaurant," Deviney said, "and bringing a second to the community reflects their passion, dedication, and genuine love for serving others."
Grand Opening Mechanics
The grand opening week runs August 19 through 22, structured around daily traffic-driving promotions: the first 100 guests on opening day will win free chicken salad for a year — one large Quick Chick per week for the guest at the front of the line, and one per month for the subsequent 99. Subsequent days offer merchandise giveaways, including branded tumblers and a teal cooler, to guests who make qualifying purchases. App-based redemption is required for the year-long chicken salad prize, a mechanic that simultaneously builds the brand's loyalty database.
The community angle extends beyond promotional traffic. The pre-opening Friends & Family event will raise funds for Casting for Hope, a North Carolina nonprofit supporting women with ovarian and other gynecological cancers. The broader Chicken Salad Chick brand operates the CSC Foundation, which directs fundraising toward CURE Childhood Cancer and local food banks — a philanthropic infrastructure that franchisees increasingly cite as a brand differentiator in franchise recruitment. The Morganton restaurant will operate Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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.
