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Innovative Upstarts Part 3 — Slim Chickens finds chicken biz is anything BUT slim pickings

In the hotly contested chicken sector of food service, one relatively new player is showing competitors how it's done, increasing sales by 50 percent last year over 2014, and prompting its customers to claim that it's nothing short of "life-changing chicken."

July 5, 2016 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Among all the concepts now playing for American mouths and stomachs, the food service chicken business is one of the most hotly contested. With players like the venerable old Colonel and bovine-loving Chick-fil-A chain, you just don't enter the chicken restaurant ring if you can be classified as  a "chicken" about competition.

Certainly, those behind the Slim Chickens chain had to have a pretty substantial amount of confidence to jump into this chicken fight earlier this century. But, in their case, that bravado has paid off handsomely since last year alone the chain reported 50 percent more sales than in 2014. That feat earned it the title of "Up and Comer" from business data analyzers at Technomic earlier this year, echoing the Slim Chicken's website claim that their customers find their chicken to be nothing short of "life-changing." 

But then, this is a restaurant chain that claims deeply Southern roots, so you can kind of assume it is self-assured about its culinary skills. In fact, that's how the brand started 13 years ago when its founder looked around and saw room for improvement in the chicken category, as we recently found out in our interview with co-founder and CEO Tom Gordon.

Q: What was the original idea for this chain and its menu, and how has that changed over the years? 

A:When we started in the early 2000s, we felt that the brands in the chicken tender and wing space hadn't quite put the pieces together to create the best offering to the guest. We thought we could change the brand type ideology for the better and deliver on an experience that we could build a company on.

That overarching vision still drives our decisions today. We've worked around the core brand and the core menu items, but much of what we offer and what we do has not changed and has certainly stood the test of time. 

Q: You all claim Southern roots, where people are particularly picky and I might even say proud about their food. How have you stood up to that challenge and do you often get people that compare it to mom's or "grandma's"? 

A: I'm not sure if we Southerners are picky — most I know will eat about anything! We are however, passionate. And yes we do get some comparisons. But I think we have built that same type of passion around our brand as well. There are brand advocates for Slim Chickens all over the U.S. and staunch defenders when it comes to their favorite tender and wing place. We've carved out our spot in the hearts and minds of our guests. 

Q: Speaking of a challenge, you are a player in the same market with KFC and Chick-fil-A. Did you set out to distinguish yourself from them early on or take them on full-speed ahead?

A:KFC really took the home-kitchen-to-the-masses idea out many years ago, and we have a great respect for both KFC and Chick-fil-a, but our focus is entirely different. We're intent on delivering products that are unparalleled in quality and service to match.

We might take a few minutes more to get an order out the window, but we cook to order, make our sauces, desserts and sides in the restaurants, and have a wonderful and inviting place to sit and dine. We've invested in the physical element and the atmosphere to offer the best total experience for our guests. We're no factory. We cook and prepare our products by hand. 

Q: What do you see as the biggest stumbling block for chicken-based menus, particularly fried chicken as we move forward into the future?  

A: Better chicken is certainly experiencing growth in the industry and we're always cognizant of "fried fatigue." Health-conscious consumers grow each year and we have to be prepared to serve them in a way that is as much of an experience as our original products. We have some great ones on the menu and will continue to innovate in that direction. 

Q: What's your favorite menu item and why? 

A: I love the 3 & 3 Plate — three tenders and three wings. It gives me a chance to see a lot of our special products on one plate and compare store to store.   

Q: What innovations are coming and what are future expansion plans? 

A:We'll innovate where guests lead us. Healthy options (as mentioned), desserts, sides and complements to the core are always being explored. As far as expansion, we're fulfilling our development goals year by year throughout the U.S. The broad middle of the country is home and we're branching out from there to the Midsouth, Midwest and upper Midwest, and will continue to go where we can partner with multi-unit operators who want another great brand in their stable. Our goal of 600 stores by 2025 is lining up just fine.

Editor's Note: Please visit QSRWeb.com tomorrow for the final installment of this series, which features Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes.

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.