Chicken Salad Chick opened its first Sarasota County restaurant Sept. 29 with a ribbon cutting, a $2,106.94 donation to cancer research and an assist from Dick Vitale.

Franchise owner Karen Jordan presented the check to Vitale on behalf of the V Foundation for Cancer Research at the ceremony outside the new location at 6650 Fruitville Road, Unit 132, in the Fruitville Farms shopping center east of Interstate 75.

Special guests and charity drive

Vitale, a Lakewood Ranch resident and V Foundation ambassador, appeared at both the ribbon cutting and a Friends and Family event the night before. At the Sept. 28 gathering, he signed copies of his book, "20 for 20: The Dick Vitale Gala Through the Years." The V Foundation was founded by ESPN and former North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano to support cancer research.

Jordan operates the Sarasota location through her company Manasota Chick LLC. She also owns Chicken Salad Chick locations at 5434 Lockwood Ridge Road in Bradenton and 8730 U.S. 301 in Parrish, which opened in December 2025.

"Opening my third Chicken Salad Chick restaurant is a really exciting milestone for me," Jordan told theBusiness Observerin a Sept. 18 preview of the opening.

The 2,600-square-foot restaurant seats 52 and offers indoor dining, an outdoor patio, takeout, third-party delivery and catering. The menu features more than a dozen varieties of chicken salad made from scratch, plus soups, sandwiches, side salads and desserts. Items visible at the opening included Classic Carol, Fruity Fran and a Cranberry Kelli croissant sandwich. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

On opening day, the first 100 customers who downloaded the Chicken Salad Chick app received free chicken salad for a year. The chain, founded in Alabama in 2008, has more than 345 locations across 27 states.

Grand opening giveaways continue through Oct. 3, with daily prizes for the first 50 qualifying customers, according toPatch. Remaining prizes include a Tervis tumbler on Sept. 30, a red grocery tote on Oct. 1, a large Chick Cooler on Oct. 2, and a free large Quick Chick for a future visit on Oct. 3.

Surrounding development

Separately, a dining cluster called Fruitville Farms South at nearby 6550 Fruitville Road will eventually house four restaurants. Potbelly Sandwich Works, Patsy's Pizzaria and Playa Bowls are planned for three of the spaces, according to theHerald-Tribune. The fourth tenant has not been announced, and opening timelines for the three named restaurants have not been disclosed.