By Jodi Schwan

Slim Chickens is about a month away from opening its first Sioux Falls location.

The restaurant at 1517 S. Minnesota Ave. has set July 17 as its opening date.

Franchisee Todd Porter has hired managers but is looking to add 40 to 50 employees.

“It’s coming along well,” he said. “We’re just waiting for some utilities to get buried and that will pretty much finish everything on the outside, and then we’re ready to blacktop and stripe.”

Slim Chickens specializes in chicken tenders, made-from-scratch sauces, sandwiches, wraps and wings. Porter, who also franchises Applebee’s, Chevys Fresh Mex, Johnny Carino’s and PizzaRev, learned about the growing chicken chain from an industry contact.

“Millennials love this concept. It’s right up their alley,” he said. “They love chicken tenders and wings, and we’re very close to the colleges and hospitals. College kids can literally walk here. It’s just a couple blocks.”

The average wait time for food is three minutes, he said.

“It’s a very unique concept and a unique name,” he said. “I like the fact it has a Southern-hospitality heartbeat to it.”

Entrees include a Cayenne ranch chicken sandwich, buffalo chicken wrap, and chicken and waffles. Combination plates allow customers to choose from several sides, including some Southern-inspired ones like fried pickles and fried okra. There are more than a dozen sauces on the menu.

“It’s a limited menu, so you can really execute hot, fast, good food, and there’s still great value,” Porter said. “A lot of the menus are very complicated now in casual dining, and fast-casual like this allows us to execute and not have such a difficult task for a teenager to try to complete like more complex restaurants. It’s easier for young people to come to work, enjoy themselves and not tear their hair out.”

Slim Chickens will include a drive-thru and heated patio with televisions and a sound system.

Porter has the franchise rights to South Dakota and North Dakota and plans to add more locations in the next five years.

“Once we get our arms around the first location, we have a second (Sioux Falls) location ready to go,” he said.