🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
Chicken Salad Chick fue nombrada la marca de restaurantes emergentes número uno en Estados Unidos según el estudio 2026 de YouGov, superando a competidores como Cook Out y Just Salad en todas las categorías medidas. La cadena con sede en Atlanta, que llegó a Kentucky en 2018 con su ubicación número 100 en Nicholasville, ahora opera más de 340 restaurantes en 25 estados y ha expandido su presencia en ciudades clave de Kentucky como Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green y Paducah. El reconocimiento refleja la estrategia exitosa de expansión por franquicia de conceptos regionales que compiten con cadenas nacionales establecidas.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A fast-growing restaurant brand with an expanding Kentucky presence has been named the nation’s top emerging dining brand, providing another indication of the competitive strength of fast-casual concepts gaining ground with American consumers.
Chicken Salad Chick ranked No. 1 in YouGov’s 2026 U.S. emerging dining brands study, finishing ahead of Cook Out, Just Salad, Nothing Bundt Cakes and KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot. The company outperformed competing brands across all five measured categories: Net Buzz, purchase consideration, Net Recommendation, perceptions that a brand is “On the Rise” and perceptions of innovation.
The recognition carries a direct Kentucky connection. Chicken Salad Chick entered the commonwealth in 2018 when its 100th restaurant opened in Nicholasville, just outside Lexington. The company has since expanded into markets across Kentucky, including Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Paducah and Hopkinsville. In October 2025, franchisee Vickie Tranter expanded the brand into Lexington’s Hamburg area with a restaurant on Bryant Road, adding a drive-thru facility.
The Atlanta-based chain now operates more than 340 locations nationally across 25 states, according to the company’s franchise development information, with more than 270 additional locations in development. The expansion follows a record-breaking 2025, when the company awarded nearly 100 franchise agreements and opened 42 restaurants across 14 states.
Chicken Salad Chick performed particularly well in consumers’ perceptions of growth and innovation. Among consumers familiar with the brand, 54.1 percent said it was “On the Rise,” the highest percentage in the study. The brand also ranked first for innovation, with 54.4 percent of consumers viewing it as innovative.
For Kentucky’s restaurant and franchise market, Chicken Salad Chick’s top ranking highlights a broader trend: regional concepts are increasingly using franchise expansion to move into new markets while competing with established national chains. The company’s Kentucky experience demonstrates this strategy in action, evolving from a single Nicholasville location in 2018 to a statewide presence spanning multiple markets while simultaneously building its national footprint.
Sources
- Lane Report (KY Business)
- YouGov’s 2026 U.S. Emerging Dining Brands Study
- PR Newswire announcement of Chicken Salad Chick’s record 2025 franchise growth
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Lane Report (KY Business), enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.lanereport.com/189123/2026/08/chicken-salad-chick-top-emerging-restaurant-brand-kentucky/.
