The New Unit
Chicken Salad Chick is opening a drive-thru restaurant in Kyle, Texas, on August 19, marking the fast casual chain's latest push into the Lone Star State and the sixth location operated by San Antonio–based franchisee OberRoc LLC. The unit sits in the Amberwood Retail Center at 19037 I-35 and operates Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The grand opening follows OberRoc's debut in Boerne in early June 2026, making Kyle the group's second new restaurant this year. OberRoc partners James Oberg, Jeff Rochelle, George Shaw, and Rosemarie Acerra now run five greater San Antonio locations — New Braunfels, Stone Oak, Roadrunner, Westover Hills, and Boerne — in addition to the Kyle unit, which is the group's first venture into the Austin metro corridor.
Grand Opening Mechanics
To drive trial, Chicken Salad Chick is running a four-day opening promotion beginning August 19. The first guest in line at 10 a.m. wins one free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for a year; the next 99 guests receive a free large Quick Chick monthly for a year. Subsequent days layer in branded merchandise giveaways — kitchen towels, collapsible pet bowls, and bibs — for the first 50 guests at two daily windows who purchase a meal with two sides. Redemption is app-based, requiring guests to download the Chicken Salad Chick mobile app on-site.
The promotional structure reflects a broader fast casual playbook: anchor the opening week with a high-visibility traffic driver, then convert walk-in guests to loyalty members through the app. For a foodservice concept expanding through franchise development, locking in repeat visits from day one is critical to franchise-level unit economics.
Texas Expansion Context
With more than 340 restaurants across 25 states, Chicken Salad Chick occupies a narrow but defensible niche — the only national fast casual concept built entirely around chicken salad. CEO and president Scott Deviney credited franchise partners like OberRoc for driving the brand's Texas footprint, noting the state remains a priority growth market.
Texas has been fertile ground for fast casual franchise growth over the past several years, with the state's population gains — particularly in suburban corridors like the I-35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin — drawing investment from both regional and national operators. Kyle, which sits roughly 20 miles south of Austin, has seen significant residential development that supports new retail and foodservice demand.
The Kyle restaurant will also support the chain's CSC Foundation, which funds CURE Childhood Cancer and local food banks. Pre-opening Friends & Family events will raise money for CHRISTUS Children's Hospital in San Antonio.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
