Wichita’s Chick N Max has long had its eye on the Kansas City metro.
Now it is reamping up its expansion plans here and throughout the central U.S.
“We are looking for experienced restaurant operators. We have a very unique niche in a very saturated segment,” says founder and CEO Max Sheets. “Our flavor profiles, our proprietary batter and flour recipes, the wood in our smokers. It’s a very unique flavor profile and I think the American public is looking for that today.”
The fast casual chain specializes in chicken sandwiches using almond wood smoked chicken, as well as wings and tenders (smokers are in every restaurant).
The first location opened in 2018 and it currently has four locations in the Wichita area and one in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sheets started franchising in 2021 and now wants to add as many as 50 more locations in the next two years in:
- Kansas. Six to eight restaurants on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro as well as Topeka.
- Missouri. Five to seven restaurants on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro, as well as metro St.Louis, Jefferson City and Columbia.
- Iowa. Five to seven restaurants in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, Sioux City, Davenport, and Iowa City.
- Minnesota. Upwards of 10 restaurants across the Twin Cities area.
- Oklahoma. Four to six restaurants across the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas.
- Texas. As many as 10 to 12 restaurants in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Chick N Max has four new prototypes to fit various retail spaces – from the smallest at 1,500 square-feet seating 22 people (in the dining room and patio) to the largest at 2,400 square-feet seating up to 80.
The restaurants, which will have 25 to 30 employees, will have drive-thrus, designated curbside pick-up parking spaces, and take-out counters.
But the company also will look at nontraditional locations in colleges and universities, truck stops, gas stations, hospitals, amusement parks, and sports arenas.
“The franchise fee is $35,000 with the total investment ranging from $650,000 to $2,500,000.
Sheets had previously worked for some top chains – Ted’s Montana Grill, Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Smashburger.
But he wanted to create a franchise concept that could tap into the booming chicken market as a healthier alternative to beef. He started by experimenting with different woods on a big smoker in the backyard of his Wichita home.
His first Chick N Max opened in Wichita in 2018 and he started looking for franchisees in 2021, targeting the Kansas City market, as well as St. Louis, Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
But during COVID, “the world was in turmoil,” he says. So he waited.
Meanwhile, he focused on the menu, and his slogan “home of the better chicken sandwich,” as he took on industry giants such as Chick-fil-A.
Chick N Max currently offers seven different sandwiches, including Chicken & Waffles (two chicken tenders on two sweet waffles with pepper jack cheese, bacon and spicy sauce); the BBQ Onion Ring (with smoked pulled chicken tossed in barbecue sauce and topped with coleslaw and an onion ring on a toasted potato bun); the Smoked Chicken BLT (with pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Max’s signature sauce and pickles); and the Sriracha Hot Honey (with two hand-breaded tenders, buttermilk garlic sauce, sriracha hot honey, and bread and butter pickles on a brioche bun); and Nashville Hot (or not) topped with coleslaw.
Other menu items include smoked leg quarters, breast quarters, half-birds, smoked wings, popcorn chicken, club salads, bowls and specials.
Its 10 homestyle sides include fries, onion rings, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, deviled egg potato salad, turnip greens, and smoked white beans, and 11 sauces made in-house daily including barbecue, jalapeno lime and sriracha hot honey.
For dessert it offers a chocolate brownie and fresh baked cookie. Chick N Max also has family-size meals and kids’ meals.
“You can come more often because there are so many things to try,” Sheets says.
According to consulting firm Technomic’s 2024 Top 400 Chain Restaurant Report released earlier this year, full service restaurants saw a notably slower increase in new locations, but chicken chains have maintained momentum, with 2023 marking the category’s fifth straight year of double-digit growth (up more than 12%)
Locally owned Chick-in Waffle also is expanding with a new Overland Park location (8667 W. 135th St.) scheduled to open in late January. Dave’s Hot Chicken, with locations in Overland Park and Westport, plans a late February opening (15139 W. 119th St. in Olathe). The new Laney’s Get Down in Westport (4057 Pennsylvania Ave.) specializes in southern fried chicken. Chicken Salad Chick, a chicken salad chain, just opened in Lee’s Summit (1020 N.W. Pryor Road, A) and more area locations are planned.
