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Perhaps not since Hobby Lobby have this many women around Milledgeville been this excited about a new business opening.
Chicken Salad Chick, which touts itself as "the nation's only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept," officially will open its new Milledgeville location on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Accompanying the grand opening will be an especially long list of give-aways and contests. The very first guest on Wednesday morning will win one "large Quick Chick of chicken salad" per week for an entire year, while the next 99 customers will be awarded one aforementioned chicken salad per month for an entire year. That Thursday, meanwhile, the fist 50 customers will get a free Chicken Salad Chick tumber, while Friday is a free "Chicken Salad Chick Wooden Cutting Board" for the first 50 customers.
An LLC first purchased the property at 1901 North Columbia, which was a vacant lot between the Little Caesars strip mall and the old Express Lube & Wash, for $620,000 back in the fall of 2021. Construction on the actual building didn't begin until March of this year, however.
The Milledgeville Chicken Salad Chick is the third in middle Georgia, joining the one on Bass Road in Macon and the one in Warner Robins.
Checking out the menu at the Macon location, there are 12 different chicken salad recipes, all of which come served on a bed of lettuce. The price point for The Chick Combo is $9.49 and includes a "scoop" of chicken salad plus either a side item, a bowl of soup or an extra "scoop" of chicken salad. Apparently, chicken salad has come a long way over the years. Here are all of the different variations at Chicken Salad Chick:
• Classic Carol – All white meat, shredded chicken, finely minced celery, mayonnaise, & our secret seasoning.
• Olivia’s Old South – A southern tradition combining sweet pickles & egg.
• Lauryn’s Lemon Basil – Our brightest flavor featuring chopped pecans, fresh basil, & lemon.
• Dixie Chick – An onion-lover’s delight! The only one with onions.
• Sassy Scotty – A zesty blend of ranch, bacon, & shredded cheddar cheese.
• Barbie-Q – A hickory smoked BBQ flavor that is sure to please.
• Fancy Nancy – Dress it up with Fuji apples, seedless grapes, & pecans.
• Fruity Fran – A refreshing blend of Fuji apples, seedless grapes, & pineapple.
• Cranberry Kelli – A mixture of dried, sweetened cranberries, & slivered almonds.
• Buffalo Barclay – Craving wings? This is definitely the choice for you.
• Jalapeno Holly – Whew!! The name says it all, diced jalapenos galore.
• Kickin’ Kay Lynne – ranch, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, jalapenos, & Sriracha!
Three more options also are available with The Chick Combo – Egg Salad, Pimento Cheese and Spicy Pimento Cheese.
The side items, meanwhile, are Broccoli Salad, Grape Salad, Pasta Salad, Fresh Fruit and Mac ‘n Cheese. Rounding out the menu are two salads – Classic Salad and Seasonal Salad – as well as four sandwiches – Chicken Salad BLT, Pimento Cheese BLT, Turkey Club and Turkey Pesto.
The franchisees of the Milledgeville Chicken Salad Chick are both Georgia College & State University graduates. Here's some more information from a press release from the company recently sent out to the media:
"The Milledgeville restaurant is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Lanier and Rod McLeod of RLM Restaurant Group. The duo opened their first Chick in Warner Robins in 2016, then quickly grew with additional locations in Newnan, Carrollton, and Macon. Lanier attended Georgia College & State University, so Milledgeville holds a special place in her heart and memories. “For the past seven years, our wonderful restaurant guests have flooded through our doors with support and encouraged us to open locations in their home towns.
"Their love and enthusiasm for our made-from-scratch chicken salad is our inspiration to continue to grow into new markets,” said Lanier McLeod. 'Milledgeville is my second home. There’s been so much anticipation from our guests around this opening, which has been really fun for us to know that the community shares the same excitement we do for Chicken Salad Chick. We can’t wait to serve them.' Lanier added, 'Through the years we have also formed a family within our company, and we love to watch these young people grow. It is so rewarding to see team members, who often start in high school, stick with our company and become shift leaders, assistant managers and general managers at our restaurants.'
"In addition to supporting their employees, the McLeods enjoy giving back to important causes. Over the years they have raised funds for local food banks and other worthy organizations throughout Middle Georgia, such as Ronald McDonald House and the Museum of Aviation. The McLeods look forward to getting further involved with the local charities of Milledgeville in the future."
Chicken Salad Chick originally was started by an Alabama lady named Stacy Brown. As the story goes, Brown "started dropping off samples of her creation in teachers’ lounges and hair salons, and then began selling door-to-door. Orders poured in; Chicken Salad Chick was born. One day Stacy received a call from Stan with the Lee County Health Department, who told her the home business was illegal. With her chicken salad still in high demand, Stacy and her husband, Kevin Brown, were motivated to open up a carry-out only, humble yet honest-to-goodness restaurant where they could spread joy, enrich lives, and serve others. The rest, as they say, is history."
Based on the bio, Stan apparently was never completely forgiven, whoever Stan is.
According to this 2019 press release, Chicken Salad Chick: "Founded in Auburn, Alabama, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart."
