Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Slim Chickens, which specializes in chicken tenders, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. With over 200 locations open and 1,100 restaurants in various stages of development, the company is planning to open at least one new restaurant every week this year.

During the past nine years, Slim Chickens has experienced significant growth, increasing its revenue from $12 million to over half a billion and growing from one franchise group to 65. This success can be attributed to the company’s core product, its hand-breaded, Southern-style, buttermilk-marinated chicken tenders.

“We were one of the pioneers in the specialty chicken market and saw a huge opportunity with little competition. This gave us the assurance to move forward with our unique offering,” Rothschild stated.

Slim Chickens’ success is not solely due to their core product. The company has also expanded their menu to include various items such as wings, craft chicken sandwiches, salads, wraps, chicken and waffles, and mason jar desserts. Additionally, the atmosphere in their restaurants is distinctive, which sets them apart in a crowded market, according to Rothschild. 

“At our restaurant, we offer a fun atmosphere with lively music genres like blues and Southern rock, as well as TV screens for sports viewing. Our interior is designed with a contemporary Southern theme, creating an enjoyable setting for diners to gather, share a meal, and have a good time, which sets us apart from the typical fast food experience.” Rothschild says.

 “I think that gave us a strategic advantage over some of our competitors because they were behind the 8-ball,” Rothschild said. “All of those to-go parts of the business grew exponentially.”

And when dine-in traffic returned, the company’s to-go business actually increased.

“What happened was all boats rose and our average restaurant volumes in the last year and a half have gone up exponentially,” Rothschild said.

Rothschild says that the reason for Slim Chickens’ high Average Unit Volume (AUV) of around $3.8 million is due to their recent successful restaurant openings and customer retention. He believes that this is due to the company having experienced operators, an effective building process, appealing marketing strategies, well-chosen locations, and most importantly, the exceptional quality of the food.

Rothschild is aware of the challenges faced by the restaurant industry and Slim Chickens is not an exception. Despite being positive in terms of sales, there has been a slight decrease in customer traffic. However, the chain’s target customers are generally high-income individuals, which has offered some protection. Despite these challenges, Rothschild predicts that the brand will continue to thrive and the company plans to open at least one new restaurant per week in the near future. 

“We’re not fighting burgers and pizzas and sandwiches, which have a lot of big players [and are] really saturated. This better chicken category, there’s still a lot of white space. … I see a very long runway for us,” Rothschild said. “As long as the topline sales keep moving, the business model works, our current franchisees will build more restaurants and we’re continuing to attract more franchisees. We’re going to continue to stay very focused and do what we do and get better at what we do.”

For more information about Slim Chickens  franchise opportunity in the region, please visit https://vffranchiseconsulting.com/brand/slim-chickens/ or contact us at info@vffranchiseconsulting.com