Southern Hospitality Served Fresh
PHOTOS BY ALLIE BRINTON
Holly Eakes, the purpose of food goes beyond nourishing one’s body and is directly connected to nurturing relationships by bringing people together and making everyone feel at home.
With a propensity for friendly customer service, a warm atmosphere complete with color tablecloths and the lure of food that is made fresh daily, Eakes and her husband, Chris, connected so deeply with their experience as longtime customers of Chicken Salad Chick that earlier this year they opened Lakeland’s first Chicken Salad Chick location to bring Southern hospitality to
the masses.
Sure the Eakes were regulars at the chain that now has more than 300 locations and is headquartered in Atlanta, but Holly, a former stay-at-home mom to her 11-year-old daughter, Isla, and 7-year-old son, Easton, was also drawn to the brand’s origins.
“It really resonated with me as a stay-at-home mom and having gone to Auburn University,” she explains, noting the brand was started by Stacy Brown in Auburn, Ala., in 2008.
The Eakes believe what truly sets Chicken Salad Chick apart from competitors is its commitment to freshness and a personal touch. Their food is never frozen or pre-cooked, offering a distinct alternative to typical fast-casual fare, and the restaurant serves us more than a dozen distinctive chicken salad flavors, including seasonal limited time offers like Southwest Seniorita.
“Our purpose is to spread joy, enrich lives and serve others.”
- Holly Eakes
Beyond chicken salad—which most people are happy to enjoy on the restaurant’s soft, flaky croissants—their menu boasts homemade sides like broccoli salad, pasta salad, and grape salad, along with fresh fruit, soups, mac & cheese and scratch-made cakes.
“We’re passionate about making every guest feel right at home, we strive to make sure every visit feels special,” Holly says, adding that the response has been incredible at the new location at 5216 South Florida Ave., including a group of regulars who visit almost every day.
The Eakes never set out to go into the restaurant business, but it’s not a completely foreign frontier to them. Holly’s father is a franchisee of six Checkers restaurants in Central Florida and was instrumental in helping the couple navigate the complex process of finding the right location in a competitive market and preparing to make an impact in the Lakeland community. Chris or Holly is present most days Chicken Salad Chick is open, and Chris says between great support from corporate and reasonable operating hours that include being
closed on Sunday each week it was “the right culture and environment for us to step into.”
It seems that sentiment is only growing. They love the friendliness of patrons at their Lakeland store and believe they can be part of the community’s continued development, including through potential expansion to additional locations in the future.
“Our purpose is to spread joy, enrich lives and serve others,” Holly says. “We strive to live these values each day and remind our staff of this frequently.”