ATLANTA – Chicken Salad Chick headquarters has a new address. The casual dining chain, which was founded in Auburn, Ala., by Stacy Brown and her late husband Kevin Brown in 2008, will call Atlanta home. Georgia is home to 32 Chicken Salad Chick locations, the largest number in any state across the brand’s footprint of 17 states, according to the company.

Approximately 40 current and new employees will work from the company’s new office located in Vinings at the Overlook II building – across the street from its Vinings restaurant, the company said. Chicken Salad Chick expects 17 Auburn-based corporate employees to transition to the new headquarters in metro-Atlanta through May. The remaining 20 positions will be filled by local talent.

“Auburn will forever be the special place in which Chicken Salad Chick was created and its home for the past 13 years. It gives me great joy to know that the loving, welcoming culture that started in our southern, Auburn community has now spread to so many others, far and wide,” Brown said. “Moving the headquarters to Atlanta will support the company in achieving long-term growth as we work toward making Chicken Salad Chick better for the future while still allowing our local restaurant teams to provide the same welcoming experience our guests have come to know and love.”

In 2020, Chicken Salad Chick filled nearly a dozen corporate positions in Atlanta, the company said. The recent hires will manage and support the rapid growth of the brand throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

Additionally, Chicken Salad Chick promoted three Atlanta-based executives to its C-suite, including Jim Thompson as chief operating officer, Terry McKee as chief development officer and Tom Carr as chief marketing officer. Most recently, Atlantans Marianna Magee, Jon Musser, Mary Lou Atkins and Kim Bolinger were named director of marketing, director of supply chain, vice president of human resources and director of operations for the Atlanta market, respectively.

“Atlanta has always fostered a nurturing business environment for companies to kickstart their growth,” said Scott Deviney, Chicken Salad Chick president and chief executive officer. “This relocation positions Chicken Salad Chick to scale at an accelerated rate and meet aggressive growth goals, while allowing us to broaden our vision for the future. We’ve seen increased interest from Atlanta’s diverse and talented workforce, and the city’s airport allows us swift access to prospective vendors and a growing pool of interested franchisees.”

Since June of 2020, Chicken Salad Chick opened 26 new stores despite industry challenges driven by the global pandemic. The company opened a total of 37 new stores by the end of 2020. This sets the stage for an estimated 40 more openings slated for 2021, the company said. Chicken Salad Chick will continue its expansion to four more states within the next two years and projects a portfolio of 500 locations by the end of 2025.