Metro Orlando’s first Slim Chickens set for Unicorp’s project
Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Slim Chickens’ first metro Orlando-area location appears to be lined up for Unicorp National Developments’ Chuck Whittall’s next major mixed-use project.
The chicken restaurant chain appears to be planning a 3,804-square-foot eatery at the corner of Celebration Drive and World Boulevard in Kissimmee at Unicorp’s Celebration Pointe development, according to a water permit application filed with the state.
Celebration Pointe is a 127,277-square-foot mixed-use development anchored by a Publix store. Satellite images from Osceola County records show the project is under construction.
Other tenants planned for the development include Walgreens, AdventHealth Centra Care, Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin’, Jersey Mike’s Subs and The UPS Store, according to Unicorp’s website.
Executives with Slim Chickens and Unicorp could not be reached for comment.
Slim Chickens’ menu features chicken tenders and wings, craft sandwiches and wraps, salads, chicken and waffles, milkshakes, and other desserts. The restaurants offer dine-in, drive-thru and catering service.
A Slim Chickens restaurant location in North Carolina. The restaurant chain has a location in the works in Central Florida.
Orlando Business Journal reported in 2021 that Slim Chickens was interested in expanding into the region. The company has nine Florida locations and more than 200 restaurants worldwide. Its international locations are in Kuwait and the United Kingdom.
The anticipated local opening comes at a time of growth for the food-service industry nationally. The U.S. food-service sector is expected to reach $997 billion in sales this year, along with adding 500,000 jobs to exceed total industry employment of 15.5 million by the end of the year, according to the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association.
“The restaurant and foodservice industry is fueling the American economy. Our hiring rate and wage increases are outpacing the overall private sector, and this year our industry will contribute nearly $1 trillion to the economy,” said Michelle Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, in comments made in conjunction with the release of the group’s 2023 State of the Restaurant Industry report earlier this year.