Known for delivering Southern hospitality and hand-breaded chicken tenders with scratch-made dipping sauces, Slim Chickens aims to serve made-to-order food in a fast and relaxed shack-like setting. Its focus on doing chicken well helped the chain get recognized as one of CNBC’s “6 hot restaurant franchises to watch in 2016.” The chain has said it plans to grow to a nationwide footprint of 600 restaurants over the next decade. It has global plans as well: Late in 2016, the chain signed a franchise agreement to expand into the Middle East and North Africa.