Slim Chickens

What Slim Chickens does

Slim Chickens is an Arkansas-based fast-casual restaurant franchise founded in 2003 in Fayetteville, specializing in hand-breaded chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and a proprietary line of jar desserts. The chain operates more than 300 locations across 34 U.S. states plus international markets and ranked among the top 120 U.S. chains in 2025 with $469.3M in systemwide sales. Its product surface is supported by a mobile app (iOS/Android), a website ordering channel, and the Slims Rewards loyalty program, which uses point accrual and birthday/referral rewards to drive repeat visits. Catering services target group occasions including office lunches, weddings, and game day events, with both pickup and delivery fulfillment.

The company operates almost entirely through franchising, generating corporate revenue from franchise fees, ongoing royalties on systemwide sales, digital service fees (a 3% fee on app/online orders), and ancillary streams such as gift card and catering infrastructure. GTM motion centers on multi-unit development agreements with regional operator groups, targeting densification in underpenetrated U.S. markets (Northeast, Central Florida, California) and 500 international locations on top of a 1,000-unit domestic goal. In 2026 the chain launched a Fly-Thru drive-thru-only real estate format to broaden the addressable franchise footprint and reduce unit-level capex.

Leadership is founder-anchored, with Tom Gordon serving as CEO and co-founder Greg Smart continuing in a founder role; Sam Rothschild leads operations and development as COO/CDO, and Seth Jensen serves as CFO. Technology is operational rather than differentiated: a Punchh-based loyalty app, standard third-party payment and delivery integrations, and vendor-provided AI audio analysis for drive-thru QA. The strategic emphasis is on unit growth via franchise development and real estate format diversification rather than on technology platform expansion.

Name

Slim Chickens

Legal name

Slim Chickens

Website

https://slimchickens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Slim Chickens is a privately held fast-casual restaurant franchise founded in 2003, specializing in hand-breaded chicken tenders across 300+ locations in 34 U.S. states and international markets. It serves individual diners and catering customers through franchise-operated units, a mobile app, and the Slims Rewards loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-casual restaurant chain

NAICS

Poultry Processing (311615), Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers (42444)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Chicken Concepts (Fried/Grilled/Hot Chicken) (THAFABAI)

Keywords

• Fast-casual dining
• Chicken tenders
• Restaurant franchising
• Quick-service chicken
• Casual dining chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Fayetteville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalty Revenue: Slim Chickens generates revenue primarily through franchising. Franchise operators pay fees and ongoing royalties based on systemwide sales. The chain has over 300 locations across 34 U.S. states and international markets, with a pipeline of over 1,000 units in development targeting expansion to 1,000 domestic and 500 international locations.
2. Direct Restaurant Sales: Company generates revenue from food and beverage sales at franchise and potentially corporate-owned locations. Menu items include chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, mac bowls, chicken & waffles, salads, sides, desserts (jar desserts, brownies, milkshakes), and beverages. Catering services for parties and events also contribute to revenue.
3. Digital Ordering Service Fees: A 3% service fee applies to all orders placed through the App or Online Ordering via the website, covering operational costs including payment processing and system maintenance. A separate delivery charge applies for orders with delivery included, charged by Slim Chickens directly or through third-party delivery companies.
4. App Downloads and Promotional Campaigns: Partnership with No Kid Hungry converts app downloads into donations (company donates $5 per app download up to $40,000, adding to existing $110,000 pledge), supporting community engagement while driving app adoption.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Slim Chickens operates a fast-casual restaurant franchise chain selling hand-breaded chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, salads, mac bowls, chicken and waffles, sides, jar desserts, and shakes. The chain serves customers through dine-in, carryout, drive-thru, catering, and digital ordering channels via mobile app and website across more than 300 locations in 34 U.S. states and international markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Slims Rewards: Loyalty rewards program where members earn 1 point per $1 spent, with 50 points redeemable for $4 rewards.
• Fly Thru

Products and services

• Slim Chickens Restaurant Chain Arkansas-based fast-casual chicken restaurant chain specializing in hand-breaded chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, salads, mac bowls, chicken and waffles, sides, and jar desserts, served in a friendly southern hospitality atmosphere. The chain operates more than 300 locations across 34 U.S. states and international markets through dine-in, takeout, drive-thru, and delivery channels for individual consumers and families.
• Slims Rewards Program Loyalty rewards program where members earn 1 point per dollar spent, with 50 points redeemable for a $4 reward. Includes a $5 off signup offer for orders of $10 or more, birthday reward of a free jar dessert with adult meal purchase, and 50 bonus points for referred members who spend $5.
• Slim Chickens Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS and Android enabling online ordering for pickup and delivery, rewards point accumulation, special offers and discounts, restaurant locator with hours and directions, and Slims Rewards account management. Supports group ordering and receipt scanning.
• Online Ordering System Website-based online ordering service enabling customers to place orders for pickup or delivery, with options to schedule orders up to a week in advance. A 3% service fee applies to all online orders, plus a separate delivery charge where applicable.
• Slims Catering Catering service for parties and events of any size, offering chicken tenders, wings, sides, desserts, and more for occasions including office lunches, outdoor gatherings, game day events, and weddings. Provides delivery options and end-to-end menu planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• $469.3 million in systemwide sales in 2025, representing 3.9% year-over-year growth
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• No Kid HungrycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Slim Chickens partnered with No Kid Hungry to fight childhood hunger through a mobile app download promotion. For each app download, the company donated $5 up to $40,000, building on an existing pledge of $110,000 and aiming for a total of $150,000. The campaign encouraged community engagement to support children facing food insecurity across the United States.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KFC: Largest global chicken QSR by unit count, competing on the value-tier fried chicken occasion across all of Slim Chickens' existing and target markets.
• Chick-fil-A: The dominant U.S. chicken QSR with a significantly larger systemwide sales base and broader menu. Competes with Slim Chickens for chicken-tender and sandwich occasions across nearly all of its 34+ states.
• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Globally scaled chicken QSR with a broader menu (sandwiches, tenders, sides). Operates directly in Slim Chickens' markets and competes on value-tier chicken occasions.
• Church's Texas Chicken: Established fried-chicken QSR franchise with comparable value positioning and a large franchise footprint; competes with Slim Chickens on price-tier chicken meals.

Direct peers

• Wingstop: Chicken-focused franchise concept specializing in wings, comparable to Slim Chickens' wing offering and franchise-led growth model; similarly targets domestic unit expansion and digital ordering.
• Raising Cane's: Fast-casual chain built almost entirely around chicken tenders with a focused menu, directly comparable to Slim Chickens' core offering of hand-breaded tenders and house sauces.

Regional players

• Bojangles: Southeast U.S.-skewed chicken QSR franchise with comparable chicken-and-biscuit menu architecture. Overlaps with Slim Chickens in core Southern markets but is less penetrated outside the region.
• Zaxby's: Franchised chicken tenders and wings chain concentrated in the Southeast, directly comparable to Slim Chickens in product mix and franchise model, though with regional rather than national distribution.

Emerging players

• PDQ: Chicken tenders-focused fast-casual concept with a comparable menu and franchise-led growth model. Competes for the same chicken-tender occasion in overlapping markets.
• Dave's Hot Chicken: Fast-growing chicken-tenders/wings concept with a similar franchise-driven expansion playbook. Highly comparable as a newer chicken concept scaling into the same underpenetrated markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/slimchickens
• Facebookfacebook.com/slimchickens
• Instagraminstagram.com/slimchickens
• TikToktiktok.com/@slimchickens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/4029330

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Slim Chickens