Burning Questions

Burning Question: When is NoVa’s first Chicken Salad Chick opening?

Burning Question: First, love The Burn.  Second, several of us in the Chantilly area are curious about if/when the Chicken Salad Chick will open. Any updates would be much appreciated. We want our pimento cheese fix. — Alyssa B.

Thanks for the kind words, and you’re not alone, Alyssa. Lots of folks in Northern Virginia appear to be eager for the region’s first Chicken Salad Chick to open.

The Burn first reported on the pending arrival of the southern restaurant brand more than a year ago. And now, we’re told opening day is getting closer.

The first location where CSC will open is in Falls Church, at 7505 Leesburg Pike. The local franchisee has taken a 2,700 s.f. spot in the Idylwood Plaza shopping center.

Right now, we are being told that the final construction is wrapping up and staff training should start next week. If all goes smoothly, they are aiming to open their doors on Wednesday, August 7.

Meanwhile, the local CSC team is already hard at work on their second location. It will be coming to the Greenbriar Shopping Center off Highway 50 in Fairfax. That’s just a few miles down the road from southern Loudoun and the South Riding/Chantilly area.

We’re told it’s taking the spot that used to be home to a Café Rio restaurant. They are aiming for an October opening there.

Plans call for up to six more Chicken Salad Chick stores around the region and places such as Reston, Vienna, Springfield, and Herndon are being looked at for future stores.

Chicken Salad Chick is an Atlanta-based fast casual chain with more than 260 locations. The menu’s focus — as you might have guessed — is on its dozen or so different types of chicken salad. The restaurant offers sandwiches, salads, and more.

(Image at top: Chicken Salad Chick)