Chattanooga Chicken

Fayetteville-based restaurant chain Slim Chickens is now up to 15 restaurants (nine company owned, six franchised) spread out through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas.

The footprint will soon include Tennessee, and in a big way.

A report published Dec. 2 in the Chattanooga Times Free Press says Atlanta-based franchisee Stan Klaus is planning to open nine of the restaurants in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville.

The restaurants, which will be developed by Klaus through his Life Changing Hospitality LLC, will be a mixture of new construction and restaurant conversions, he said. At least two of the restaurants will open in 2015 with more in the following years.

Slim Chickens, founded by Greg Smart and Tom Gordon, opened its first store in 2003 and has a goal of 600 restaurants by 2025.

Smart told Whispers the company’s 16th store will open Dec. 10 in Lubbock, Texas.

“We’ll also have several in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area in the first part of 2015,” he added.