Settlement Reached in Slim Chickens Flap

A confidential settlement apparently has ended a lawsuit among friends who partnered to launch a successful restaurant business a decade ago.

Washington County Circuit Court judge Beth Bryan signed an order May 9 dismissing a suit filed by Ryan Hodson — on behalf of a partnership called HSG Partners Inc., and related companies Slim Chickens Inc. and Slim Chickens Holdings LLC — against Tom Gordon, Greg Smart and a company the two founded in 2011 called Slim Chickens Development Co. LLC.

Hodson, Smart and Gordon opened the first Slim Chickens restaurant in Fayetteville in February 2003, a year after they began developing fresh chicken recipes in Smart’s garage.

Seven locations were eventually added throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas, but Hodson’s suit, filed in October, claimed Gordon and Smart “pushed” Hodson out of the day-to-day management of the business in 2010 “because he objected to the desire of Gordon and Smart to operate HSG Partners beyond its financial means.”

Assets Issue

Hodson was seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent his partners from selling or disposing of any of their assets due to the “immediate and substantial risk that Gordon and Smart will seek to conceal, transfer or dispose of the proceeds of their wrongful acts.”

Hodson also sought a court-appointed receiver to safeguard the assets of HSG Partners and Slim Chickens Holdings while the case was in litigation, and asked that Gordon and Smart be removed as directors and officers of those companies.

Seth Haines, an attorney with Friday, Eldredge & Clark who represented Gordon and Smart, said he may have a comment “a little bit further down the line,” but didn’t have any more to say at press time.

Moving Forward

We’re told Judge Bryan’s order means Hodson is, officially, no longer part of the company, and the breadth and scope of the Slim Chickens brain trust moving forward involves only Gordon, president and CEO, and Smart, chief marketing officer. We also went to press expecting a news release about the restaurant’s further growth plans at any minute.

Things are not quite as clear for Hodson. His LinkedIn profile lists him as co-founder, in 2010, of Real Clear Neighborhoods — “a management company for homeowner associations” — but all we could find regarding RCN is a website with a “Coming Soon” message.

Hodson also lists himself as part of ROE Restaurant Group. The business apparently has been operating since September, and also promises a website will be “launching extremely soon.”