Slim Chickens, a fried and grilled chicken concept started in Arkansas is set to open in Spring\Summer 2021 in the PDQ building at the corner of Washington Road and North Belair in Evans.
Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate represented the seller and sold the 4,200 square foot building and property for $1.7 million to Jim Bennett, an Augusta resident and principal of 3 D Development Group and Peachtree Development & Investments.
Bennett will be the franchisee and managing partner of the restaurant. He got sold on bringing the concept to Augusta when he helped a restaurant client.
“I was first introduced to the Slim Chickens brand when a client of mine signed a 10-unit franchise agreement in the panhandle of Florida. As I was assisting them in site selection and development, I saw first-hand how customers responded to this new and exciting family-oriented brand, that serves an incredible product (both fried and grilled options are delicious),” said Bennett.
The only chicken concepts that have grown in the last decade in the Evans\Martinez area are Chik-Fil-A and Zaxby’s.
PDQ, Raisin’ Canes, Maryland Fried Chicken and KFC all have closed on Washington Road in the last several years.
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There are more than 100 franchise locations of Slim Chickens, and menu items across country include chicken strips, wings, chicken salads, chicken tender mac bowl, chicken-n-waffles with sides like macaroni and cheese, cole slaw and french fries with handspun milk shakes.
Meals and salads are in the $7 to $10 range. Slim Chickens boasts 20 sauce flavors. The “secret sauce” for the chicken is southern-style buttermilk marinade fried in trans-fat oil.
“My team signed a 12-unit franchise agreement and are actively seeking other locations within the CSRA. We are incredibly excited to bring a spin on the traditional chicken-focused restaurant to the CSRA that I am certain will be a huge hit,” added Bennett.
According to www.slimchickens.com, Bennett is the first franchisee in either Georgia or South Carolina.
Several other fast food restaurant concepts were close to purchasing the property in 2019.
“Slim Chickens is a great fit for the PDQ building due to their flexibility to work with different building styles. Previous groups interested in the property always hit a wall with the cost to convert the building to their national prototypes,” said Troy Jordan, partner, Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate.
Bennett is currently preparing remodel plans and will be submitting them to Columbia County for permits within 30 days.
“We hope to be up and running in Evans by May of this year and look forward to serving the Evans Community,” said Bennett.
He hopes business will be much better than other chicken concepts that have tried and failed.
Neil Gordon is a Business Writer with The Augusta Press. Reach him at neil.gordon@theaugustapress.com
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