Chicken Salad Chick is buying a bakery chain.
The fast casual known for its limited menu of chicken salad and sides has acquired Atlanta-based Piece of Cake and plans to start selling specialty cakes at all of its 245 restaurants. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Piece of Cake was founded in 1985 and has 10 locations in the Atlanta metro area. It is known for its cakes as well as cookies and other treats. Its shops will continue to operate as usual, but Chicken Salad Chick will also begin selling its cakes in its restaurants, whole and by the slice. The cakes will become Chicken Salad Chick’s signature dessert item, joining an existing selection of cookies, brownies and bars.
“[Piece of Cake CEO Melissa Jernigan] and her team have consistently offered the best cakes in the business, and I am pleased to soon have the opportunity to bring them to all our Chicken Salad Chick guests,” said Chicken Salad Chick CEO Scott Deviney in a statement.
Deviney and Jernigan, ready to cut the cake. | Photo courtesy of Chicken Salad Chick
Chicken Salad Chick and Piece of Cake have a lot in common. Both started in home kitchens—Piece of Cake in Jernigan’s Atlanta condo and Chicken Salad Chick in the home of founder Stacy Brown, who sold her chicken salad door-to-door in Auburn, Ala., before opening her first restaurant.
“What wonderful synergy, as both businesses are committed to serving time-honored, made-from-scratch recipes loved by our customers,” Jernigan said in a statement.
The deal gives the fast-growing Chicken Salad Chick a foothold into another booming restaurant segment: dessert. Brands like Crumbl Cookies, Insomnia Cookies and Nothing Bundt Cakes have done well recently as consumers gravitate toward comfort and indulgence.
Since its founding in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has become an unlikely success, spreading quickly via franchising throughout the Southeast and into the West and Midwest. Systemwide sales rose 19% last year while unit count grew 15%, according to Technomic.
Along with that growth has come a willingness to expand its menu, but not by much. This fall, it launched its first warm sandwich, topped with, you guessed it, chicken salad. And now it’s getting into cake.
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