The doors at 5505 Arbor Chase Drive, just off of Zeeb Road, opened on January 6, giving local customers their first taste of the new Slim Chickens restaurant. What started in Fayetteville, Arkansas has made its way to Scio Township, Michigan, just down the way from Meijer.

The Sun Times News (STN) paid a visit to check out the new place and order some food, specifically the 3 & 3 meal. It was obvious people in the area were waiting and excited for it to open. It was basically a full house of customers an hour or so after opening with many vehicles moving through the drive-thru.

STN spoke with Todd DeLange, who is the Franchisee with his brother, Brad.

“We are open,” he said smiling and looking around the full room. “We’re excited to finally be here.”

Slim Chickens said its mission is simple: to make the best hand-breaded chicken tenders using only the freshest ingredients, served in a friendly atmosphere where people can relax and feel at home.

They say they use the best chicken cuts one can get for their tenders. From their start, they said having the best, all-natural premium chicken cooked with a time-tested recipe has been a building block for them. They aim to lock in the flavor for every order with a southern-style buttermilk marinade and lightly-breaded by hand style.

The menu however is much more than tenders though. There are wings, Tender Mac Bowls, sandwiches, wraps, chicken & waffles, salads, sweets, milk shakes, sides like fries, potato salad and fried mushrooms. Just to name a few.

DeLange said it’s their goal to be the best they can be. From the food and service, to the all-around experience, he said they want to be a great new food option for the community.

“We have a southern hospitality feel to us,” DeLange said. “Our founders set the standard and we aim to carry it on. We take care of our customers. If we don’t somehow, then we want to make it right. We want to do our best for each meal. We want you to feel like you’re at home.”

Slim Chickens has indoor and outdoor seating, and a drive-thru. It’s open dine-in from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the drive-thru is 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. It’s located at 5505 Arbor Chase Drive.

To learn more, go to, https://slimchickens.com/.