Helena, Mont. — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-thru in the “better chicken” segment, is expanding into Montana. Mike Sartwell, who is an existing multi-unit franchisee with Slim Chickens, is bringing four new restaurants to Montana. The first location, which is a conversion, will be located at 1450 Prospect Ave. in Helena.
Sartwell has an extensive portfolio of restaurants across North Dakota, Montana, Missouri and Illinois. His portfolio consists of quick-service and fast-casual brands.
“Our group has developed Slim Chickens restaurants in North Dakota, and with the breathtaking success of our first opening last year, we knew we wanted to quickly expand our agreement with the brand,” says Sartwell. “Once we found the real estate, we moved swiftly. The first restaurant we developed was a conversion and was the most successful opening in the brand’s history, so we felt leveraging an existing site for our first Slim Chickens restaurant in Montana made sense, especially right now.”
The franchise agreement signed in Montana is one of six multi-unit agreements the brand has inked during the coronavirus pandemic. Since February, Slim Chickens has added 38 restaurants to its development pipeline.
“Mike is the ideal franchise partner for Slim Chickens. As an experienced operator, he understands that now is the time to expand with a brand like ours,” says Jackie Lobdell, executive director of franchise development at Slim Chickens. “After growing year-over-year sales since the pandemic and signing nearly 40 new units, we have an unmatched runway for growth. With real estate available in markets coast to coast, the time is now to diversify with a brand equipped for the future of our industry.”
The better-chicken brand, which first opened in 2003 in Fayetteville, Ark., now has 100 locations open across the United States, the United Kingdom and Kuwait. With more than 400 units in development, Slim Chickens is well on its way to reaching its goal of 600 restaurants in 10 years. In 2019, Slim Chickens attracted an equity investment from 10 Point Capital, the private equity firm behind segment leader Tropical Smoothie Café. For more information, visit https://slimchickens.com.
SOURCE: Slim Chickens