Quick, Easy, Healthy, Tasty

With a location in Wilmington and one coming soon to Leland, Chicken Salad Chick provides fresh, healthy food in a flash.

Having the courage to try new things isn’t always easy. For Haley Pinder and her husband, Shane, deciding to change course in life and take a leap of faith was the best decision they ever made. The couple opened Chicken Salad Chick in 2019 after relocating with their children from Virginia, a move motivated by their desire to slow down and enjoy life to its fullest.

“Shane was traveling all the time, and as a working mom I was busy as well, so we had gotten to a place in life where we wondered if this was really what we wanted for our kids forever,” Haley says. “We started exploring different business ventures and franchises because we love working together, and when we discovered Chicken Salad Chick, it felt like a match made in heaven.”

The Pinders were drawn to Chicken Salad Chick’s unique menu offerings, and their shared love of the coast led them to choose Wilmington as the perfect location for their franchise.

“The more we looked into the brand, the more we appreciated thinking we could provide fresh, healthy food for busy families every day,” Haley says. “I think chicken salad is such a wonderful fit for Wilmington, because of the flexibility it provides of having something cold that you can take with you in a variety of situations and atmospheres.”

The heart of the restaurant’s menu is its namesake, with more than a dozen distinctive flavors of chicken salad made fresh in the kitchen each morning. The original flavor, called Classic Carol, is the restaurant’s number one seller from which all the other chicken salads are built; it contains all white meat shredded chicken, minced celery, some secret seasoning and a smidge of mayonnaise. Other favorites include the Fancy Nancy made with apples, grapes and pecans, and the Sassy Scotty, which boasts a zesty blend of bacon, ranch and cheddar cheese. Heat-lovers are drawn to spicier flavors like the Buffalo Barclay and the Jalapeño Holly. All of the chicken salads are served either as a scoop with crackers, on toasted white or wheat bread (with or without bacon, lettuce and tomato,) or on a croissant, another customer favorite.

In addition to the many sweet and savory chicken salad options, diners can choose from a wide variety of delicious side items. Haley’s personal favorite is the signature Grape Salad, a flavorful combination of red and white seedless grapes rolled in a sweet cream cheese mixture with brown sugar and pecans on top. Other highlights include broccoli salad made from fresh florets mixed with dressing and bacon, pasta salad, macaroni and cheese, egg salad, pimento cheese and fresh fruit. The restaurant also offers potato soup every day as well as a rotating second soup option like tomato bisque, chicken Florentine, or broccoli and cheese. To sweeten the experience, all meals are also served with a buttercream cookie.

Guests wanting to dine on site can choose to sit at one of the numerous inside booths and tables or outside underneath an umbrella. All arriving diners are greeted with a smile by outgoing servers happy to offer samples of the various chicken salad flavors. Photos of Wilmington landmarks adorn the restaurant’s walls, from downtown monuments to the battleship to the area’s picturesque beaches. Later this year, the Pinders will be opening a second location in Leland in the Waterford Shopping Center, and they can’t wait to welcome guests with the same friendly service and feel-good vibes there as well.

“It’s just a happy, cheerful, upbeat place to come in and enjoy good food,” Haley says.

One thing that really sets Chicken Salad Chick apart is how many options it provides, as the entire menu is available to accommodate from just one meal to feeding a large group.

“Folks can come into the store and enjoy having a meal or we also have small and large containers of all our salads and sides that are great to take and go,” Haley says, “We also have family packs where you can come in and pick up containers of chicken salad with your sides and drinks and make it a really easy thing to take to the park, to the beach, out on the boat or home if you have company coming over. We even sell coolers filled with ice.”

The restaurant also offers catering, something Haley says has really taken off. Customers can order individually boxed meals or opt for a buffet-style selection using beautiful trays arranged with different flavors and side options.

“We’re a brand that definitely values our guest experience,” Haley says. “Our managers and staff are fantastic and really do seek those relationships in our community. What we want people to experience when they come in is that they’re welcome, and it’s just an extension of all of their homes to come and enjoy a great meal together.”

Want to go?

Chicken Salad Chick

1131 Military Cutoff Road, Suite A, Wilmington
(910) 613-6605
chickensaladchick.com