First Albuquerque Slim Chickens to open in October

Cathy Cook , Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

Sep. 14—Slim Chickens has already opened in Rio Rancho to long lines, but the franchise is about to come to Albuquerque.

The newest Slim Chickens location is scheduled to open on Oct. 16 at 8240 Montgomery NE, near Wyoming. The new store is hiring and should employ 100 people in part-time and full-time positions.

"Our target, we want 100 employees," said franchise owner Dennis Ekstrom. His company Desert Slims has exclusive rights to develop Slim Chickens in New Mexico. "We had the same target in Rio Rancho and landed at about 91, so we got very close to the 100."

Slim Chickens is a fast-food chicken chain that started in the 2000s in Arkansas. As the name implies, the menu is heavy on chicken, with chicken tenders, sandwiches, and chicken and waffles. The company began franchising 10 years ago, and has locations across much of the U.S., plus 45 in the U.K. and one in Istanbul, Turkey.

"We are super excited about Desert Slims' third location, soon to be open in Albuquerque," said Jackie Lobdell, VP of franchise development for Slim Chickens. "Desert Slims is exactly the kind of franchisee that we like to partner with, a multi-unit restaurateur who is just a brilliant operator and very passionate about Slim Chickens."

The company only partners with multi-unit restaurateurs, Lobdell said, and is focused on expanding in the Northeast, because development rights have been sold for most of the rest of the country.

The Albuquerque location is opening later than planned, after delays in acquiring an electric transformer pushed back the opening date. The same issue occurred with the Rio Rancho location.

Despite the delayed opening, the Rio Rancho restaurant still broke first week and opening day sales records for Slim Chickens, Ekstrom said.

The Albuquerque restaurant will be the third Slim Chickens in New Mexico, all owned by Ekstrom. He opened his first Slim Chickens in Farmington over a year ago.

Ekstrom loves the dessert jars, which include combos like brownie and pudding or cheesecake and strawberries served in mason jars. His favorite menu item is the chicken tenders paired with cayenne ranch or spicy BBQ sauce.

"With that chicken tender, it is unmatched," he said.

Ekstrom plans to open an estimated 10 more Slim Chickens locations in New Mexico, with two expected to open by the end of 2024. Ekstrom also has a location under construction in El Paso and two in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He's purchased exclusive rights to Slim Chickens in New Mexico, El Paso, Wyoming and Las Vegas, Nevada, and eventually plans to open 30 locations.