Who’s Who: Shane and Haley Pinder Of Chicken Salad Chick

Who’s Who of Wilmington Today: Meet Shane and Haley Pinder, Owners, Chicken Salad Chick

Where are you from?
Shane: I am originally from Nassau, Bahamas.
Haley: I am originally from a small farming community in south Georgia.

How did you end up in Wilmington?
Shane: We came to open Chicken Salad Chick.
Haley: Shane and I moved here from Virginia, where we met in college and raised our family for 21 years. We visited Wilmington several times and absolutely loved it. When we were at a crossroads professionally, we wanted to find a special place to start a business that we loved first, where we felt our business would thrive and where we didn’t want to move away from when we retired! Wilmington fit the bill perfectly.

What is your favorite part about living in the area?
Shane: We would come to visit Wilmington and always loved the genuine kindness of the people. Also, I grew up on the coast and Haley grew up in the South, so it seemed to be the perfect merger of both.
Haley: The list goes on and on for all of the reasons I love this special town! To sum up just a few: The beaches and marsh are just beautiful, and the people are even more wonderful. I have sincerely felt the generosity and hospitality of our new friends and neighbors in such a short time. People here are happy, humble, generous and sincerely want others to be successful. The people are truly special!

What are three words that describe you?
Shane: Passionate, loyal, competitive.
Haley: Determined, loyal, compassionate.

What is your average workday like?
Shane: It has three components to it. One, keeping track of the store and all the logistics that make it run. Second, in the store helping as we develop our team, culture, brand and serving our guests. Third, setting the groundwork for future locations.
Haley: It is full! As a mom of a high school freshman daughter and preschool son, their schedules often drive my schedule regarding time. I enjoy problem solving throughout the day, but most all, I enjoy seeing familiar faces and meeting new friends during lunchtime at the store. Afternoons are sometimes spent meeting with marketing opportunities, interviews with potential employees and seeking creative ways to grow our brand in this area.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Shane: People.
Haley: This is an easy one to answer — I love the people! I have met such a diverse group of people and sincerely love hearing about their children, jobs, challenges and celebrating what is important to them. I love getting to know our staff and helping them to meet their goals while providing a safe and fun environment that values family and faith.

What is the most difficult part of your job?
Shane: People.
Haley: I really can’t think of something here. Shane is amazing and handles so much of the day-to-day needs that I truly get to come in and enjoy our business and work.

What has working at Chicken Salad Chick done for you?
Shane: It has allowed us to connect with Wilmington in a unique way. It has confirmed time and time again that we made the right move. It has allowed us to provide employment to many people in an environment that they can trust and enjoy.
Haley: Owning and working at Chicken Salad Chick has been a gift. I have thoroughly enjoyed working closely with COVID, but one that I will always be grateful for. I am grateful that we were creative to reinvent our processes, proud that we met the needs of our employees and appreciative that our team has met the challenge staying healthy and better for it.

Do you have any goals for the company and what will you do to achieve them?
Shane: The future goal would be to develop the Wilmington area with new stores. Starting with the Forum location as we strive to Spread Joy, Enrich Lives and Serve Others. We want to be America’s favorite place to go for Chicken Salad. We are a simple concept, but the love and passion that goes into every scoop of chicken salad is something we want our guests to feel and experience.
Haley: We are looking to take the Chick down to Leland in the near future and then another one closer to the Monkey Junction area. If those go as well as we hope and plan, I will have to talk Shane into looking into other areas!

What else do you want people to know about your business?

Our chicken salad and sides are made from scratch every day. Our menu items can fit a variety of dietary needs including gluten free, high protein, low sugar and several others. We offer a full catering menu in both boxed lunches and buffet style as well as family meals. Each day our open refrigerator is stocked with Quick Chicks that are easy to pick up containers of all 13 flavors of chicken salad and sides in both small and large sizes. Each season offers new desserts, limited time offers on special flavors and much more. We are thrilled to be serving the Wilmington area and look forward to seeing you soon!

Fun Facts

• Favorite Movie? Shane: Gladiator; Haley: Sweet Home Alabama or The Blind Side
• What’s your dream superpower? Shane: Time Travel. The ability to go back and change things that went wrong or to travel to the future to see what would happen if you made a given choice; Haley: I want to have the power to grow extra arms to get more done and add extra hours to each day
• Favorite song out right now? Shane: “Starting Over” by Chris Stapleton; Haley: “My Redeemer Lives” by Nicole C. Mullen
• What are your favorite hobbies? Shane: Golf and boating; Haley: We love going to the beach any time of the year, and my newest hobby is family bike rides on my new beach cruiser.
• What is your favorite quote or mantra? Shane: It is never as good as it seems, never as bad as it seems, somewhere in the middle is reality; Haley: Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.

Chicken Salad Chick
1131 A Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington
(910) 679-8126
Facebook @facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickWilmington
Instagram @chickensaladchickwilmington