Nik Smith, owner of local catering company AF Food Co., is preparing for the launch of his next dining concept — Side Chick Salad Co., and, as the name implies, it’s all about chicken salad.
Smith used the 217 Foodies Facebook group for market research when he was considering launching a new business endeavor, and the one question he said kept popping up was: When is Springfield going to get a chicken salad restaurant?
“It’s an answer to what Springfield doesn’t have but has been quietly asking for,” Smith said of Side Chick Salad Co.
Initially, he developed the Side Chick business plan as a vendor proposal for the Sangamon County Transportation Hub, which is under construction. Then he decided to move forward with finding a stand-alone location for the concept.
“I decided I’m just going to take the opportunity and make it happen,” he said.
Smith is still working on finalizing a location for Side Chick. He is currently looking at different properties, both on the west side of Springfield and downtown. He’s also considering the possibility of a food truck, whether instead of or in addition to a brick-and-mortar location, he isn’t sure.
“We are also playing around with the idea of partnering with a local business downtown that has kitchen space available and doing a launch there,” he said. “There are a lot of options.”
The timing of a potential opening of Side Chick depends on where it lands for a final location, Smith said. If he ends up partnering with an existing business, he would be able to open in the next month or two, but if he ends up renovating and building out a new space, it would take much longer.
Side Chick’s menu will include six main chicken salad types, with an additional two rotating seasonal specials. Sides will include pasta salad, potato salad, and a third seasonal side, such as pickled watermelon salad in the spring and summer. A rotating menu of soups and chilis also will be available. Desserts will include cookies and cheesecake cups, and the drinks menu will feature house-made lemonades and specialty drinks such as a cucumber lime cooler.
The chicken salad will be served with croissants, which Smith hopes to source from a local bakery.
“Everything will be house-made or sourced from local businesses,” he said.
Looking ahead, Smith said he wouldn’t rule out eventually opening other dining concepts in addition to AF Food Co. and Side Chick.
“Side Chick is just the first step under the AF Food Co. umbrella,” he said.
Back when Friar Tuck first opened they had a gourmet cheese and meat cracker kind of stand alone inside it was great