Chicken Salad Chick to open Dec. 9

Stacy and Kevin Brown emptied out their cupboard on a mission. Their object was to think of any food they had seen restaurants pair with chicken and test it out in chicken salad.  

Some were horrendously bad, Kevin Brown said, but 12 became menu items for their first Chicken Salad Chick restaurant when it opened in Auburn in 2008. All 12 came with whimsical names after friends or family members.

“Our intent was to appeal to all chicken salad lovers,” Brown said. “Everyone likes it a little different and has a little different palate. Some like it with fruit, some like it classic, some like it with onions.”

Now those 12, plus three more, are available at the new location for the scheduled to open Dec. 9 in Soho behind Zoe’s in the former Wallace-Burke storefront.

The remaining three chicken salad varieties on the menu came from outside the Browns’ kitchen.

Kickin’ Kay Lynn, a combination of buffalo sauce, ranch, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and jalapenos, was born of an employee’s request.

Stacy’s best friend in kindergarten in Rome, Ga., was a little bit offended there was no salad named before her on the original menu, so she came to the restaurant with a packet of ranch dressing, cheese and bacon. Today you’ll find chicken salad with those three ingredients if you order the Sassy Scotty, one of the top sellers for the restaurant. 

“Our idea from top to bottom is to have fun with this,” Brown said.

The two top sellers at Chicken Salad Chick are the Classic Carol, your basic formula of chicken, mayo, celery and seasonings, and Fancy Nancy, which is dressed up with Fuji apples, pecans and seedless grapes.

Brown said it can challenge a guy’s manhood to order “Fruity Fran” or “Nutty Nan” aloud, but other flavors are more popular with men. Buffalo Barclay is a little spicy, almost like buffalo chicken dip, and is popular around football season.

Chicken Salad Chick customers are typically around 80 percent female when they first open, but contrary to what you might think, Brown said women start to bring their spouses and workers, who eventually bring other men when they find the food is good. He said they see a 65/35 male/female mix in restaurants that have been open longer.

At the restaurant, you can order chicken salad by the pound, or on a sandwich or as a scoop with a side and cookie. If by chance a customer doesn’t want chicken salad, deli turkey, roast beef, ham or pimento cheese are also on the menu.

They also offer a soup a day, featuring top seller Classic Loaded Potato, Brown’s favorite Chicken and Artichoke Florentine, Broccoli and Cheddar, and Chicken and Wild Rice.

Chicken Salad Chick now has more than 25 franchised locations and is looking to add an addition 40 across the Southeast next year, but they have long had their eye on the Birmingham market. 

“We feel like Birmingham is a gateway market for us with it being largest market in state where we are founded,” Brown said. “We feel like it will open up new markets in areas where we don’t have locations.”

In addition to SoHo, a location opened at the Village at Lee Branch Sept. 30, and a downtown restaurant is slated for later this year. 

“Folks in Birmingham have been almost to the point of begging us to come,” Brown said. “And when you ask where would be a good spot, Homewood was always high on the response list.”