Restaurant chains are still chasing growth in a market shaped by cautious consumer spending, regional brand loyalty, and demand for fresh formats. Into that backdrop, Chicken Salad Chick has landed at the top of a new national ranking that measures which emerging restaurant brands are gaining traction with consumers. The result gives one of the South’s fastest-expanding fast-casual concepts a new data point as it pushes deeper into markets outside its traditional footprint.
Chicken Salad Chick took the top spot in YouGov’s new study
Chicken Salad Chick ranked No. 1 in YouGov’s first 2026 U.S. emerging dining brands study, according to reporting by Nation’s Restaurant News and YouGov’s published overview of the new research. Nation’s Restaurant News reported that the Atlanta-based chain posted an Emerging Momentum score of 83.2, ahead of No. 2 Cook Out at 75.3 and No. 3 Just Salad at 72.9. The top five also included Nothing Bundt Cakes and KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot.
The study screened 70 emerging brands and advanced 34 chains that had reached at least 10% national awareness, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. YouGov said the full study measures more than recognition alone, evaluating consideration, brand impression, innovation, customer experience, and whether consumers see a brand as on the rise. That made the final list a broader test of consumer momentum rather than simple name familiarity.
Chicken Salad Chick stood out across those measures, with Nation’s Restaurant News reporting that 54% of aware consumers said the brand is bringing new ideas to foodservice and also viewed it as on the rise. The publication said the chain performed especially well on innovation and upward momentum. Those findings put a measurable number behind the brand’s fast expansion and growing national profile.
The ranking matters because the chain is moving beyond its Southern base
For readers across the South, the ranking reflects a chain that already has deep regional awareness and is now using that base to expand further. YouGov said Chicken Salad Chick reached 34.4% awareness in the South, compared with 19.1% nationally, showing that the brand’s recognition remains strongest in its home region even as it grows beyond it. That regional strength helps explain why the brand could score highly in a study built around consumer perception and momentum.
The company said on July 29 that it had more than 340 restaurants open nationwide and had reached 25 states with planned summer openings in Apple Valley, Minnesota, and Allentown, Pennsylvania. Chicken Salad Chick also said it opened 42 restaurants across 14 states in 2025 and sold another 52 restaurants during the first quarter of 2026. Those figures show that the ranking arrived during an active expansion stretch rather than after a quiet operating period.
What is not yet publicly detailed is a full market-by-market breakdown tied to the YouGov ranking itself. The company has not released a state-by-state list showing which existing markets contributed most to the score, and YouGov’s public materials do not identify performance by individual city. What is confirmed is that the brand’s strongest awareness remains in the South while its current growth strategy is extending into the Midwest and Northeast.
Expansion, awareness, and category positioning help explain the result
The ranking comes as chicken remains one of the restaurant industry’s most competitive categories, but Chicken Salad Chick is positioned differently from chains built around tenders, wings, or fried chicken. Nation’s Restaurant News noted that the chain ranked ahead of several better-known emerging players by leaning into a chicken-salad-centered menu that stands apart in fast casual. In practical terms, the concept benefits from clear category distinction at a time when many restaurant brands are competing for similar occasions.
YouGov’s own methodology points to why that matters. The firm said brands had to clear a 10% national awareness threshold to advance, then were assessed on measures including consideration, innovation, and whether consumers see them as rising. A chain that can combine a strong Southern base, a recognizable niche, and visible new-market openings is likely to perform well on those dimensions.
The company has described 2026 as a period of continued national growth, and its recent announcements show that it is still entering new territories rather than only densifying existing ones. For customers, that means the ranking is less about a one-day accolade than about the chain’s growing visibility in more U.S. markets. The practical takeaway is straightforward: Chicken Salad Chick’s No. 1 finish formalizes the momentum the brand has been building as it expands beyond the South.