Slim Chickens describes expansion

Slim Chickens is expanding in 2021, moving to several new states despite the covid-19 pandemic.

Next year, the Fayetteville-based restaurant chain hopes to open 50 new restaurants, including locations in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the company said recently. The expansion is part of an agreement with 16 groups that includes 150 multi-unit agreements.

Slim Chickens opened its 121st store in early February. Of these stores, 10 are corporate owned. The company has 10 locations in the UK and two in Kuwait. The company was founded in 2003 and is privately owned.

Slim Chickens resisted 2020 and is handling the covid-19 pandemic well, according to the company. After changing its strategy in March to deal with the crisis, in four weeks Slim Chickens saw sales growth year after year in all of its stores, Jackie Lobdell, vice president of franchise development, said in a recent interview.

Lobdell said that despite all the challenges that the covid-19 pandemic has brought, the company has had a strong year and Slim Chickens is on track to do well, if not better, in 2021. For 2020, the company saw an increase of 14% in the same – store sales and saw its revenue in all stores increase 35%, while the franchise side of the business grew 30%.

According to a January statement from the National Restaurant Association, sales at food and beverage outlets in December stood at $ 51.2 billion, down for the third consecutive month, and total sales fell by $ 240 billion in 2020. Sales of December were 22% lower than before Sales coveted in January and February, according to the association.

Montine McNulty, executive director of the Arkansas Hospitality Association, said in a recent interview that many of the state’s restaurants, especially smaller operations, are struggling and holding out hope for some relief for the proposed $ 1 covid-19 federal aid package, 9 trillion.

She said the Arkansas operations that managed to survive and even thrive in today’s environment are those that were well positioned to move from in-house restaurants to drive-thru, curbside and delivery options.

Lobdell, of Slim Chickens, said the challenges presented by covid-19 helped the company refine certain processes, including collection and delivery on the sidewalk. She said that new venues will be built with these lessons in mind and will include improved drive-thru configurations, as well as complete dining rooms that will be in demand when the covid-19 restrictions are eased.

“Our customers still like to come into our stores to eat,” said Lobdell.

Slim Chickens competes in the fast-casual segment, where restaurants offer a slightly more formal experience compared to fast-food operations. Although fast-casual restaurants do not have a wait staff, waiters often bring food to the tables. Other aspects of the segment include a comfortable atmosphere, usually including music, big screen TVs and attractive graphics.