Chicken Salad Chick announced the acquisition of another Atlanta-based chain, Piece of Cake bakery. The 245-unit fast casual chicken salad chain intends to bolster its dessert menu with Piece of Cake’s offerings. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Piece of Cake was founded in 1985 by Melissa Bunnen Jernigan, who will continue to serve as the company’s “Cakexpert,” and features cakes that are made from scratch using family recipes. In 2021, she wrote a book called “Piece of Cake: My Wild Ride from Banking to Baking.”

“Over the years, Piece of Cake cakes have been a mainstay at the table as our family celebrated holidays and special occasions together,” Chicken Salad Chick CEO Scott Deviney said in a statement. “Melissa and her team have consistently offered the best cakes in the business, and I am pleased to soon have the opportunity to bring them to all our Chicken Salad Chick guests. This collaboration further enhances our mission of spreading joy, enriching lives and serving others… one piece of cake at a time.

All 120 Atlanta-area Piece of Cake employees are expected to be retained following the acquisition. Also as part of the deal, Chicken Salad Chick will begin plans to bring the bakery’s cakes to its restaurants, where they will be featured as the signature dessert offerings following successful market tests. Both whole and by-the-slice cakes will be on the menu and available for dine-in, takeout, digital orders, and drive-thru. Additionally, Piece of Cake’s 10 metro-Atlanta Piece of Cake locations (including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) will continue to operate business as usual.

“After nearly 40 years, it seems like the right time to pursue this opportunity with Chicken Salad Chick,” Jernigan said in a statement. “Both brands began in home kitchens – Piece of Cake in my Atlanta condo and Chicken Salad Chick in Stacy Brown’s home in Auburn. What wonderful synergy, as both businesses are committed to serving time-honored, made-from-scratch recipes loved by our customers.

Founded in 2008 in Auburn, Alabama, by Stacy and Kevin Brown, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 240+ restaurants in 17 states. According to data from Technomic Ignite, the chain grew its sales by over 20% from 2021 to 2022, to about $306.7 million. Average unit volumes are about $1.4 million.

Original Article:
[H/T] RestaurantBusinessOnline.com