A second Zaxby’s is on the way to the Coast, and a Chicken Salad Chick could follow
Those who crave chicken “fast and casual” soon will have another restaurant choice while shopping in D’Iberville.
Last year Chicken Salad Chick opened at the Promenade in D’Iberville. Next year Zaxby’s is coming to the west side of Promenade Parkway.
“I’ve been opening Zaxbys restaurants since 2004,” said J. Hudson Sanderford, who owns the Zaxby’s in Gulfport and several locations in Alabama.
He’s been working for about 5 years to open in D’Iberville, he said. He just completed a deal with Southeast Commercial Real Estate to open Zaxby’s on the northwest side of Promenade Parkway, across from the Nissan dealership.
Construction will start in late December or January and the restaurant should open in April or May, Sanderford said.
“D’Iberville is a booming market and has been for a long time,” he said, yet he thinks there is room for more restaurants. “They don’t have enough choices,” he said, “and Zaxby’s is going to be a good fit.”
The restaurant chain is billed as an alternative to fast food, featuring hand-breaded chicken fingers prepared at order, plus salads, cajun club and other sandwiches, appetizers and party platters.
Sanderford identified his favorite as the Zaxby’s Kicking Chicken Sandwich served on Texas toast.
“It’s spicy, it’s messy,” he said. “It’s good.”
Zaxby’s is headquartered in Athens, Georgia, and has more than 900 locations in 17 states. During the grand opening of the Gulfport location in 2016, customers camped out to be among the first in line and receive a Zaxby’s Deck of 52 Dealz for a taste of Zaxby’s all year.
The D’Iberville restaurant will seat 70 and will have a slightly different prototype than the Gulfport location. Sanderford said it will be identical to the new Zaxby’s he opened this spring in Saraland, Alabama.
October was the first anniversary for the Chicken Salad Chick in D’Iberville that he opened with Bruce Ratcliffe, who has worked for Sanderford for more than 12 years.
Sanderford also is working on opening another location to bring Chicken Salad Chick to Gulfport.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
