A recent lunch at Chicken Salad Chick in downtown Chattanooga featured a soup-and-sandwich special, with half a Jazzy Julie chicken salad on sourdough bread and a cup of chicken and rice soup. The pasta salad was an add-on from the menu.

One of Chattanooga's most popular new restaurants, Chicken Salad Chick, announced Tuesday that Chattanooga is getting another franchise location, on Gunbarrel Road, to open on July 22.

Chicken Salad Chick opened its first Chattanooga store on Market Street earlier this year. The restaurant chain now includes 21 stores across the South.

Jennifer Layhorn, store manager at the Market Street Chicken Salad Chick, said a second Chattanooga store has been in the plan since the start. But the success of the Market Street store made the decision to open another location clearer.

"Lined up out the door and down the sidewalk everyday," said Layhorn of lunch crowds at the downtown store.

That store is serving about 450 customers a day.

"It's what I've expected and still growing every day," said Layhorn.

Josh Patton owns both Chattanooga Chicken Salad Chick stores.

"I'm very excited to open my second location this summer in an upscale shopping center near the Hamilton Place mall," said Patton.

Kevin Brown, president of Chicken Salad Chick, said the aim in opening the second store is to make Chicken Salad Chick available to folks in other parts of the city.

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Delivery

The downtown store, meanwhile, is also rolling out a brand-new delivery program today.

It's the first delivery service offered by any Chicken Salad Chick location.

Layhorn said at first, deliveries will be limited to a two-block, walking radius of the store. The delivery area will grow after store managers get a feel for the new feature.

Deliveries, for now, must be called or faxed in.

But Layhorn said an online service is coming "very soon."

"It could be any day now," she said.

She said a third Chicken Salad Chick store is not in the works, but it's not impossible to rule out.

Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.

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