FL Eatery Named The Best Chicken Salad By Southern Living, Chicken Salad Chick, Abruptly Closes

Photo byMichael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Florida has no shortage of places to get chicken salad such as Chick-fil-A or even Publix. However, neither was said to have the country's "best" chicken salad sandwich like Chicken Salad Chick's "Fancy Nancy," which earned the "best" chicken salad title by Southern Living in the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, Chicken Salad Chick recently abruptly closed a Florida location in Jacksonville's Baymeadows.

About Chicken Salad Chick: This chain has an interesting beginning - it was started in the home of founder Stacy Brown. When she had success with this, she eventually opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant that became popular enough to expand throughout the nation.

According to the food publication Mashed writing in the fall of 2021, the allure of Chicken Salad Chick is that you can enjoy a very tasty chicken meal without needing to ingest something that is deep fat fried, and unhealthy. The eatery offers healthy options like the "fruity fran" with apples and pineapple, and the "Barbie Q" - a healthy option that tastes like barbecue ribs.

The location at Reedy Branch Commons earns 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google reviews. As you might imagine, many praise the chicken salad. A reviewer named Rick wrote, in part:

"...about 2 years ago I said to my son, there is no way a chicken salad restaurant will ever survive. Finally...I decided I had to try it because they keep opening up stores so something has to be right. Well, I have to admit I was so wrong, the chicken salad was the best I’ve ever eaten - very, very good. I was sitting eating my chicken salad (did I mention I’m 77 years old?) when a young lady about 75 stopped and said, 'Real men eat chicken salad.' I swear to you that is a true story!!"

According to the company's website, it currently has 34 Florida locations.

The Unexpected Closure: After nine years, the location at 10920 Baymeadows Road, Unit 12 announced its closure with an unexpected note on the door thanking the community for its patronage and suggesting that patrons try the location at Jacksonville Town Center.

Tom Carr, chief marketing officer for Chicken Salad Chick, told the Times-Union that despite the closure, the company is planning to add one or two new stores in the area in the next twelve months, although there is no specific location yet.

The author is not affiliated with Chicken Salad Chick or any other restaurants.