Nick Ouimet, who oversaw the creation over the past several years of the two-unit Super Chix Chicken & Custard concept for Yum! Brands Inc., led an investor-group purchase of the concept earlier this month.
The two 50-seat restaurants, in Arlington, Texas, and North Dallas, offer a fast-casual chicken version of the “better burger” segment that swept the nation over the past decade. The first Super Chix opened in April 2014, and the second opened in May.
Ouimet, a 10-year veteran of Yum, talked with Nation’s Restaurant News about the fledgling “better chicken” segment, which includes such players as David Chang of Momofuku Restaurant Group, Bradley Ogden of Funky Chicken and even a menu extension test by Shake Shack.
When did you see an opening in the “better chicken” market?
Probably about six or seven years ago, when everybody felt that burgers were [a] saturated and mature market, brands began differentiating themselves. I’ve known chicken. I worked at Yum with KFC. It was clear that no one was playing in that space. There’s a spectrum in better burgers. There’s a spectrum in quick service. There are different shades of gray, from old-school Jack in the Box and Burger King and McDonald’s, and then there’s Five Guys and Smashburger. When you look at chicken, there are a lot of fast-food guys and a lot of QSR guys like Chick-fil-A. I don’t think there are a lot of people playing in fast-casual chicken. There’s a lot of blue ocean.
How do you distinguish Super Chix from other chicken restaurants?
Our ingredients are unparalleled. We aren’t freestanding with a drive thru. Our price point is a little bit higher, but our ingredients are a lot higher.
You offer fresh-cut fries and frozen custard. Are there any other markedly different food offerings?
We get bread delivered fresh every day. There are no preservatives or dyes or anything like that, even for our pickles. Our chicken is cooked to order, and that’s a difference. We have a small holding cabinet that is used during peak periods, but there is no batch cooking. Our chicken is cooked in 100-percent refined peanut oil. Our breading has five ingredients and our marinade has six. We do all our marinating in the store. Our sauces are all clean-label. We have beer and wine.
Finding its own voice
What did you learn between opening the first unit in April 2014 and the second in May?
It was massive. We understand the distinguishing factors between QSR and fast casual. We were afraid to be fast casual. We sort of thought about being QSR-plus-ish. The second one is much more “fast casual” from a design perspective. It’s softer. The menu is more robust in the second one. We have two really nice salads [pomegranate-ancho and Cobb], and our kids’ meals focus on fruit cups and a frozen custard to get families in here. We have a play area out back for families. We have beer and wine.
And the differences in décor?
This one is more comfortable. It’s less industrial. This one is where Super Chix is beginning to get its own personality, its own voice.
How do you define that voice?
Our brand architecture is to “always be real.” We are a very transparent brand with our food and ingredients. We communicate with our customers in an authentic way. We try not to be too cool, too cute. We don’t have fancy, kitschy names for our products or trendy eggs on our sandwiches. We try to remain true to who we are, which is bold, authentic and real. That word “real” is important to us.
What are the demographics for a typical Super Chix location?
There are a lot of families. I live right around the corner [from the Dallas restaurant], so I know the area well. I have two small kids. There are a lot of offices. This is very approachable. We have a big lunch business, and on nights and weekends we have a lot of families.
What is the average check?
The math check average is over $11, but we have so many families. The per person check average is probably closer to $8 and $9. You’ll get a sandwich for $3.75 or $3.85, fries for $2.25, and a drink for a $1.75 or $1.85. We want to have a very elevated product and we want to be super-premium, but we also want to be accessible.
What are your expansion plans?
Two to three stores next year, and three to four the year after [2017]. We’ll be in DFW for a bit, and we’re working on an international deal.
Yes, we pay a lot of attention to details. We have almost four and half stars on Yelp, which is not an easy thing to do. It’s not just about Yelp, but that we are pleasing a lot of customers and creating a loyal following with just two stores.
You offer three flavors of frozen custard. How does that fit into the Super Chix brand?
That’s the second big change we did. We’re an ice cream shop. We’re a creamery. We sell an insane percentage of sales in frozen custard alone. We have a pint freezer to sell it go. It’s the thing that created a cult. We realized in the first store that frozen custard would be a hero. We’ve changed the name to Super Chix Chicken & Custard. It’s also a barrier to entry.
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