What’s best — 12 flavors of chicken salad, or 1 old favorite? Try them all in Ridglea
Two of the nation’s most popular chain restaurants are now open in central Fort Worth, challenging two local favorites head-on.
The openings of Alabama-based Chicken Salad Chick and New York-based Shake Shack will no doubt draw new crowds.
Along the way, maybe they’ll also try 45-year Camp Bowie Boulevard chicken-salad landmark The Lunch Box and 12-year Exchange Avenue anchor Love Shack.
Chicken Salad Chick already had suburban restaurants, but the new Ridglea Village location, 6124 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Ridglea Village, is its most prominent yet. Another CSC will open this spring at 501 Carroll St. near Montgomery Plaza.
The restaurant started as a take-out stand in Auburn, Ala.
Now, it serves 12 flavors of chicken salad in traditional, “fruity and nutty,” savory or spicy varieties, along with pimiento cheese, egg salad and turkey or BLT sandwiches.
The “Classic Carol” with celery and mayo remains the most popular flavor, said John Schissler, the local franchise owner along with his wife, Meggie.
The “Fancy Nancy” with apples, grapes and pecans is the second favorite. But the menu variations include cranberry-almond, jalapeno, Buffalo-style and a ranch-bacon-cheddar-Sriracha.
If you went to a CSC looking for something besides chicken salad, there are new items.
Pimiento cheese comes in regular or jalapeno-pepper Jack, or on a BLT sandwich. The restaurant also offers salads or soups, and there’s a PB&J.
It’s a counter-service setup, but comfy.
It’s open for lunch and dinner weekdays and Saturdays; 817-769-6572, chickensaladchick.com.
From down the street, owner Immy Khan at the iconic Lunch Box sandwich cafe and newer neighbor Black Rooster Bakery, 6333 Camp Bowie Blvd., said he’s tried CSC.
The Lunch Box’s chicken salad is “only one option, the exact same for 48 years,” he wrote in a message — “shredded chicken, mayonnaise, red pimiento, green paper, celery, olives, eggs, poppyseeds.”
The Lunch Box serves chicken salad lunches, scoops, sandwiches and sandwich quarters with pimiento and egg salad.
Three notable differences:
▪ The Lunch Box is open Sundays, when the Chick is closed. (On the other hand, the Chick is open weeknights and Saturdays for dinner.)
▪ The Lunch Box has table service.
▪ Also, the Lunch Box serves tuna salad and other sandwiches on traditional bread or the newer artisan Rooster breads.
“Chicken salad is still over half of our business” at the Lunch Box, Khan said.
The Chick restaurants are “clearly a proven business model,” he said: “I don’t see it having much effect on our business. We encourage customers to try our chicken salad and their new store as well.”
The Lunch Box is open for breakfast and lunch daily; 817-738-2181, eatthelunchbox.com.
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
