Slim Chickens is preparing to enter Southern California with three planned restaurants in Palmdale, Lancaster and Santa Clarita. The Arkansas-based chicken chain announced a new franchise agreement that brings its hand-breaded tenders and dipping sauces closer to customers in the Antelope Valley and surrounding communities.
The deal follows earlier expansion efforts covered in other Slim Chickens markets. Under the company’s September 18 announcement, the first of these Southern California restaurants is expected in 2027, although it has not supplied a street address or firm opening date.
Three cities are included in the agreement
Palmdale and Lancaster are in Los Angeles County’s Antelope Valley, while Santa Clarita sits farther southwest. The planned restaurants would give the chain a presence in three separate communities instead of concentrating its initial Southern California push in a single city.
Husband-and-wife franchise operators Yasir and Aleeza Nadeem are leading the project. They already operate a Denny’s restaurant in Southern California, and the chain says Yasir has more than 30 years of restaurant-industry experience. Aleeza’s background includes restaurant administration, team development and management.
The agreement covers three restaurants, not three addresses that are ready to open. Site selection, construction and local approvals still affect the timing. As of the announcement, the chain expected its first restaurant under the deal in 2027, with the other openings to follow.
California is becoming a bigger growth market
The Southern California deal follows a separate six-unit franchise agreement for Northern California announced earlier in 2026. Those are two development agreements, not a claim that nine California restaurants have already opened.
Slim Chickens began in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 2003. Its menu includes chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, wraps, salads and chicken and waffles, along with a range of dipping sauces and its Jar Desserts.
The company has also been experimenting with different property formats, including drive-thrus, inline restaurants and smaller endcap sites. That flexibility matters in Southern California, where finding a suitable restaurant site can be a major part of getting from a franchise agreement to a grand opening.
For now, Palmdale, Lancaster and Santa Clarita are the three confirmed target cities. The franchise partners have signed the agreement, but the public still has to wait for construction updates and opening dates.
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