Denton’s restaurant scene is getting another shakeup at Rayzor Ranch.
Chicken Salad Chick is preparing to move into the former Salata restaurant space at 3420 North Interstate 35, bringing the Southern-inspired restaurant chain to one of Denton’s busiest retail areas.
The project won’t require a new building. Instead, plans call for a $275,000 interior remodel of the existing 2,686-square-foot restaurant space. Construction is currently scheduled to begin September 15, 2026, with completion targeted for November 1.
And there’s no mystery about the previous tenant.
The project documents specifically identify the space as the restaurant previously permitted for Salata in June 2024. No exterior work or change of use is planned, giving Chicken Salad Chick an existing restaurant space to transform into its own.
From an Auburn Kitchen to a Growing Restaurant Chain
Chicken Salad Chick has a much different origin story than the typical national restaurant chain.
Founder Stacy Brown started selling her homemade chicken salad in Auburn, Alabama, before opening the first Chicken Salad Chick restaurant with her late husband, Kevin Brown, in 2008.
The concept centered around something remarkably simple: chicken salad.
But instead of offering just one recipe, Chicken Salad Chick built its menu around a lineup of different flavors and personalities.
Its signature Classic Carol keeps things traditional, while other varieties mix in ingredients such as pecans, grapes, bacon, jalapeños, buffalo sauce and more.
The menu has since expanded beyond chicken salad. Guests can also find sandwiches, soups, fresh sides and desserts, including the chain’s recognizable frosted buttercream cookies.
Chicken Salad Chick Heads to Rayzor Ranch
For the Denton location, Chicken Salad Chick will land right along the Interstate 35 corridor at Rayzor Ranch.
Rather than starting from an empty shell, crews will remodel a restaurant space that was already designed and permitted for food service. That could help explain the relatively quick construction schedule, which currently spans only about six weeks.
Once work begins, Denton residents may not have to wait long to see the former Salata transformed.
And while the construction documents give us the first look at what’s coming, an official opening date has not yet been announced.
Bottom line — Salata is making way for something new at Rayzor Ranch. Chicken Salad Chick is headed to Denton, and the transformation is scheduled to begin this September.