Slim Chickens is coming to the Indianapolis area. Here's what you need to know

Cheryl V. Jackson, Indianapolis Star
·2 min read
8

The blues-themed fast-casual restaurant chain Slim Chickens will be spreading its wings in the Indianapolis area.

The chain specializes in hand-breaded chicken tenders cooked to order and tossed in choices of 17 proprietary dipping sauces, including two that are made on-site.

Slim Chickens will open stores in Indiana, starting fall 2022. (Photo: Ken Roberts)
Slim Chickens will open stores in Indiana, starting fall 2022. (Photo: Ken Roberts)

Franchisee PrimeStar Restaurant Group will open about 40 units across the state, the first being in West Lafayette in early November.

Several stores will be in the Indianapolis area, including one in the Traders Point neighborhood in January 2023. Shops in Westfield, Avon and Franklin will open later in 2023.

IndyliciousSign up for local dining news

The top-selling meal for the brand is its chicken tenders with fries and Texas toast, but Slim Chickens boasts a broader menu than do standard chicken chains; with fried or grilled wings; sandwiches; wraps; chickens and waffles; and salad offered, as well as sides such as fried mushrooms, pickles and okra; mac and cheese; and fresh-made coleslaw. Desserts, which come packaged in small glass jars, vary based on the season.

Sauces include several spicy flavors.

The local stores will adhere to the same menu, theme and southern decor that has helped the chain gain its following, said Al Cabrera, CEO of Miami, Florida-based PrimeStar Restaurant Group. Cabrera is a co-owner of the company, along with his cousin, Rudy Dumenigo, a cardiologist and managed care executive.

They plan to develop a total of 70 stores in Indiana, Illinois and south Florida.

Vegan cafeBlack Leaf Vegan to open downtown Indy shop

Cabrera is a hospitality industry veteran.

Through his Heartland Foods Corp., he, at one time, was the largest minority franchisee in the Burger King system, with 248 units in Indiana, the Chicago area, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Cabrera said his longtime relationship with a Slim Chickens owner motivated him to invest in the stores.

"I got excited about the concept. I thought it was a well-run company and I thought that it would be an interesting opportunity," Cabrera said.

New dining optionsMust-try restaurants for August

Founded in 2003 in Fayetteville, Arkansas by Tom Gordon and Greg Smart, Slim Chickens is the latest chicken chain to announce plans to grow in the Indianapolis area.

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, a popular chain built on a limited menu, will open in Avon at 8970 E. U.S. Highway 36 in November, and in Noblesville at Campus Parkway and Cabela Parkway in late December. A store in Bloomington, at 422 E. Kirkwood Ave., is expected to open in late August. A Mishawaka shop opened in December 2020 and a West Lafayette restaurant opened in April 2021.

"The consumers are moving more and more into chicken," Cabrera said. "There's room for all of this competition."

Slim Chickens also plans to open in South Carolina, Virginia, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis restaurants: Slim Chickens is opening in the area