Suzanne Townsend, SA Current

The Slim Chickens chain's San Antonio franchisee is hatching a plan to turn the city into a poultry paradise.

Dan McGrath, next week will launch Arkansas-based Slim Chickens' fouth Alamo City store, this one at 14121 Culebra Road. He's added that also looking to develop roughly a dozen more in the area.

"At this point, we have set our sights on building out the San Antonio [market] before we move up the I-35 corridor," McGrath told the Current via email. "While I can't give a definite number, San Antonio is one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S., and the brand has been very well received. I wouldn't be surprised if greater San Antono alone could handle 12 to 15-plus locations."

McGrath is the president of Austin-based Big Star Hospitality and has over a decade of corporate restaurant experience with Arby's and Dunkin Donuts along with other chicken brands. Currently, he owns the Slim Chickens units in Austin and San Antonio along with 25 recently added ones in the Ohio markets of Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus.

"In 2021, when we signed the Texas development agreement, I immediately identified Ohio as a market with similar demographic points that I believed would welcome the brand into their community," McGrath said. "When the development territory opened up, we jumped on it."

Slim Chickens specializes classic fried chicken entrees such as sandwiches, tenders and wings. Its Southern-inspired sides include fried okra and macaroni and cheese. The brand has 250 locations across America, the UK and Kuwait. This new San Antonio store is projected to create 100 new jobs, according to McGrath.