Cleveland Market Entry
Chicken Salad Chick is bringing its Southern-style fast casual format to the greater Cleveland area for the first time, opening a franchise location at Westgate Shopping Center in Fairview Park, Ohio on August 25. The brand — which positions itself as the only fast casual concept dedicated exclusively to chicken salad — now operates more than 345 restaurants across 25 states, and the Ohio addition continues a franchise-led expansion push the company has sustained across the South and Midwest.
The Fairview Park unit is owned and operated by Doug and Angela Fitch, Avon, Ohio residents who bring a combined nearly 40 years of experience in restaurant operations, sales, and administration. Doug Fitch's background centers specifically on franchise restaurant management. The couple's first encounter with the brand happened during a visit to Angela's father in The Villages, Florida — a common discovery story for Chicken Salad Chick, whose Ohio presence had previously left the state underserved. "Cleveland loves great food and appreciates fresh, unique dining options, and there's nothing quite like Chicken Salad Chick in the area," Doug Fitch said.
Grand Opening Promotions
The location launches with a five-day grand opening event designed to drive trial and build loyalty app adoption. On opening day, the first guest in line at 10 a.m. receives one free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for a full year; the next 99 guests in line earn one free large Quick Chick per month for a year — both rewards delivered through the brand's mobile app. Subsequent days layer in merchandise giveaways: a Chick Tote Bag on Wednesday, a 40-oz tumbler on Thursday, a free scoop on Friday, and a large Chick Cooler on Saturday. Each day's merchandise offer is structured around a qualifying purchase, directing foot traffic across the full menu rather than single-item redemptions. The multi-day cadence is a strategy the brand has refined across fast casual restaurant openings to sustain earned media and community buzz beyond a single launch day.
Operator and Brand Implications
For franchisees evaluating emerging markets, the Cleveland entry is notable in part because of the rationale CEO and President Scott Deviney laid out publicly: "Cleveland is a great city for business with affordable operating costs, strong local food culture, and a supportive community." That framing reflects a broader industry trend of franchise expansion moving into secondary and tertiary markets where real estate and labor costs offer more favorable unit economics than gateway cities.
The Fairview Park restaurant will operate Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., offering dine-in, takeout, third-party delivery, and catering. The catering channel in particular aligns with Chicken Salad Chick's strengths — its scratch-made chicken salad format and side-heavy menu travel well for corporate and event orders, a segment that has rebounded strongly for fast casual operators since 2023. Community giving is also part of the unit's pre-opening strategy; the Fitches hosted Friends & Family events to raise money for Prayers From Maria, a nonprofit focused on childhood brain tumor research, consistent with the brand's CSC Foundation work supporting CURE Childhood Cancer and local food banks.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
