Barnett Management Company, the Phoenix-based franchisees with exclusive state-wide rights to Slim Chickens, hopes to break ground on one of its 32 locations at 3630 W. Happy Valley Rd. in Glendale by year’s end, according to Barnett’s Chief Operating Officer, Shane Jacobs.
“We’re really excited to be entering this market and to be bringing this concept to a state that we’ve operated and done business in for 40 years,” Jacobs tells What Now Phoenix. “Myself and my two business partners are born and bred here in Arizona, we’ve lived here our whole lives, and we’re really excited to bring this concept to everyone and get some Slim Chickens food in everyone’s mouths.”
Barnett Management Company initially inked its 10-year, 32-unit deal with Slim Chickens in August 2021, however, COVID-19 has continuously posed problems, not least of which has been persistent supply chain delays.
“It’s been a little bit challenging going through this process in the midst of this pandemic…But at the end of the day, it’s all going to be worth it once we’re open and once we’re interacting with the community and sharing our product with them,” says Jacobs.
Slim Chickens was founded in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 2003 by entrepreneurs Greg Smart and Tom Gordon, who “started with a mission to bring a dose of that southern hospitality to a fast, casual setting – serving fresh handmade food to the communities we serve,” according to the restaurant’s website.
