Chicken Salad Chick this week said that it purchased 11 locations in Georgia from the brand’s largest franchise operator, Origin Development Group.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition gives the Auburn, Ala.-based chicken salad chain 32 company restaurants among 105 total locations.
The brand expects to continue developing company restaurants as well as franchise locations—including as many as 40 new locations next year, which would be nearly 40% growth for the fast-growing concept.
In this instance, Chicken Salad Chick’s purchase of 11 locations in Georgia gives it a bigger foothold in a huge market: Atlanta.
“Atlanta is an important market for us,” Scott Deviney, Chicken Salad Chick’s CEO, said in a statement. “In just two and a half years, Origin substantially increased our presence in the area, while successfully managing operations.”
Darren DeVore and Lauren Fernandez of Origin bought three Atlanta locations in 2016 and has grown the business to 11 locations since then.
Stacy Brown created Chicken Salad Chick in 2008 after the local health department said she had to stop serving chicken salad from her home. The brand grew quickly, began franchising in 2012 and sold a majority stake to Eagle Merchant Partners in 2015.
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