Lehi Business
Lehi’s fast food scene gets new Slim Chicken franchise
Lehi and fast food just go together like french fries and ketchup. Our ever-growing city is no stranger to new food options, and Slim Chicken is the newest. The fried chicken chain touts a mission, “To make the best hand-breaded chicken tenders using only the freshest ingredients, served in a friendly atmosphere where people can relax and feel at home.”
The southern company opened its first location in Fayetteville, Arkansas nearly 20 years ago. The Lehi restaurant is the only one in Utah out of more than 100 locations.
“Once we tried the product, we just knew it was going to take off in Utah, and we know that it is the perfect fit for the Lehi community,” said franchise owner, Byron Wheeler, who started his restaurant business with 15 Burger King locations before starting a Slim Chicken franchise.
Slim Chicken’s menu offers an assortment of chicken dishes including chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, salads and 17 different house sauces for dipping. Side options include southern favorites like macaroni and cheese, fried pickles, ranch chips and potato salad. To top off your southern-style meal, drink selections include a variety of ice teas, including raspberry and peach flavored.
The Lehi location opened on July 5 and is located at 1250 E State Street, next to Taco Bell. The restaurant offers drive-thru, dining room and outdoor patio seating options.
With fried chicken options aplenty in Lehi, including household name, Chick-Fil-A, what makes Slim Chicken different from all the others?
“Our chicken tenders are made with 100% all-natural chicken tenderloin, which is only about two percent of the whole chicken. It’s marinated in buttermilk and lightly hand-breaded before fried. We love our house-made dipping sauces, desserts and variety of southern sides that you won’t find anywhere else, but what really sets us apart is our southern hospitality.” said Lehi General Manager, Michael McNamara.
With restaurants across the Country adapting and innovating during the COVID-19 pandemic, Slim Chicken which has brought 80 new jobs to Lehi, is no different.
“We’ve definitely had to make adjustments to our business model and adapt to the environment, but we’ve been able to grow our sales each day we’ve been open, while still maintaining a safe environment for our guests,” said McNamara when asked about the challenges of opening in the middle of the pandemic.
My wife and I visited Slim Chicken during the restaurant’s opening week and found it to be a clean and welcoming environment. The food was traditional fast-food chicken but did offer unique sauces that you don’t get elsewhere, and we especially liked the garlic parmesan. Although they offer 17 house sauces, they do charge .29 cents per sauce after your first complimentary one. The total for our two meals (a chicken tender basket and chicken sandwich combo) was $19.74. We used a free chicken sandwich coupon on the Slim Chicken app, it then brought the total to $14.29.
