Chicken Salad Chick is planning to open its fourth Kansas City-area location, this time in Olathe, Kansas, at 14991 W. 119th St., a building that most recently housed a Penn Station East Coast Subs. No opening date has been announced, and the site is currently undergoing renovations.
The Olathe plans were reported through permit filings covered by the Kansas City Star, which described Chicken Salad Chick as the country's only fast-casual restaurant dedicated exclusively to fresh chicken salad. The chain opened its first Kansas City-area restaurant in 2025, and the newspaper's reporting lays out how the brand has since built a presence on both sides of the state line.
A Fast-Growing Footprint Across the Metro
The Star's reporting notes that Alan and Kendra Greenwood own the Chicken Salad Chick locations in Liberty and Lee's Summit, while Jo Anne Williams and Cindy Sulzman own the Overland Park restaurant. That Overland Park location, at 9222 Metcalf Ave., opened July 1, 2025, in a spot that previously housed a La Fuente Mexican restaurant, according to Catalyst Property Group. The same account details how the Kansas City area's first Chicken Salad Chick opened Dec. 10, 2024, at the Streets of West Pryor in Lee's Summit under the Greenwoods, who hold exclusive territory rights for additional Missouri-side locations including Liberty and Blue Springs.
The Greenwoods followed that debut with a second Missouri location at 8311 N. Booth Ave. in Liberty, which opened April 28, 2026, marking the chain's expansion into the Northland market, according to a post shared in a local Facebook group. On the Kansas side, Williams and Sulzman operate under the franchise entity ChicksKAN LLC, and their reach extends beyond Overland Park. Per PR Newswire, the sisters signed a three-unit franchise deal in September 2024 securing exclusive development rights across Johnson and Douglas counties, targeting Prairie Village, Olathe, Overland Park, and Lenexa, with Williams managing back-office operations while Sulzman oversees retail operations and catering.
Bluhawk Adds to the Johnson County Pipeline
Chicken Salad Chick's Johnson County ambitions extend even further. The chain was announced in July as an incoming tenant for the Bluhawk mixed-use development in south Overland Park near West 160th Street, a project also adding L.L.Bean and other national retailers through 2027.
Nationally, the brand has scaled quickly. It now operates more than 340 fast-casual restaurants across 25 states after hitting its 300th location in Melbourne, Florida, in April 2025, per PR Newswire's reporting, and the company awarded nearly 100 new franchise agreements that year. Private equity firm Brentwood Associates has backed that growth since acquiring a majority stake in parent company SSRG Holdings LLC in November 2019, when the chain operated just 137 locations, according to Brentwood Associates.
What's on the Menu at the New Olathe Spot
The Kansas City Star's reporting details the menu customers can expect once the Olathe location opens. Chicken salad scoop meals range from $10.49 for one to $13.29 for two, and include options such as Olivia's Old South, made with sweet pickles and egg; Jalapeño Holly, featuring jalapeños; Nutty Nanna, with pecans and cashews; and Barbie Q.
Sandwiches run $10.99 to $13.79, including BLTs, turkey clubs, and Cheddar Melt meals that pair chicken salad with cheddar cheese and bacon. Specialty sandwiches climb to $11.99 to $15.79, and the menu also features soups and desserts, the Star reports.
From a Home Kitchen to a National Chain
Chicken Salad Chick traces its roots to Auburn, Alabama, where founders Stacy Brown and her late husband Kevin Brown launched the concept in 2008. According to Chicken Salad Chick, Brown started out selling homemade chicken salad door-to-door before local health department officials ordered her to stop preparing it in her home kitchen, pushing her to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant instead. The chain also expanded its dessert lineup after acquiring Atlanta-based specialty bakery Piece of Cake in 2023, integrating hand-frosted cakes into its made-from-scratch menu across the network, per PR Newswire.
Franchise candidates hoping to open their own Chicken Salad Chick face steep entry requirements: a minimum net worth of $750,000 and liquid assets of $250,000, with initial investment costs ranging between $742,000 and $980,000, according to PR Newswire's reporting. Initial franchise fees stand at $50,000, with drive-thru models landing at the upper end of that investment range.
