Chicken Salad Chick operates 345 restaurants across 26 states and carries a development pipeline of more than 300 units, a commitment load that would nearly double the chain's footprint as it pushes into the Northeast.

The fast casual brand has signed development agreements in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the company said in a press release. The New York commitment is the largest single piece: a 25-unit franchise deal signed earlier this year covering the Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Albany markets.

Growth is running almost entirely through franchising. Last year the chain signed 100 franchise deals and opened 42 locations across 14 states. Franchisees opened net new units at a pace that added 93 restaurants between 2023 and 2025, according to a franchise disclosure document, lifting the system from 224 units at the start of 2023 to 326 at the end of 2025. Franchised locations average roughly $1.5 million in unit volume — a figure that frames the economics prospective operators are underwriting as they sign multi-unit commitments.

Recruiting younger operators

The chain has drawn particular interest from Millennial and Gen Z franchisees, a cohort Chicken Salad Chick describes as central to its growth strategy. The company pitches a model that pairs small-business flexibility with the backing of a larger brand, supported by corporate operations assistance.

"The Northeast represents one of our most exciting growth regions, and we're just getting started," said Mark Verges, vice president of franchise development at Chicken Salad Chick. "We're focused on partnering with experienced entrepreneurs who will help us grow the brand in a way that stays true to the culture and hospitality that have defined the brand since day one."

Territory still open

Not all of the Northeast is committed. The company said territories remain available in New Jersey, central Pennsylvania and Long Island, New York — an indication that the current agreements cover only part of the region the brand intends to penetrate. Chicken Salad Chick characterized the Northeast as an "increasingly important market," citing strong consumer demand.

The chain's recent momentum includes a grand opening in Allentown, Pennsylvania, one of the first visible markers of the Northeast strategy on the ground.

With 300-plus committed units in the pipeline against a 345-store base, the franchise development organization faces a decade-scale build-out schedule, and the pace at which operators in new Northeast markets hit that $1.5 million average volume will determine how quickly the remaining territories sell.