Festival Place spreads its wings with signing of Slim Chickens
Sovereign Centros from CBRE has announced that Slim Chickens, the American fried chicken restaurant chain, has selected Festival Place to be the home of its next location. Making its Basingstoke debut, the Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) operated brand is set to open this July, taking a 3,503 sq ft unit on the ground floor of the centre.
With room for over 85 diners, Slim Chickens Festival Place will deliver its casual dining offer, serving fresh hand-breaded buttermilk-marinated chicken cooked to order. Alongside its trademark chicken tenders, diners will also be able to choose from a menu of other dishes, including sandwiches, crispy wings, wraps, salads, sides, and a range of plant-based options. Slim Chickens’ 15 handmade dipping sauces will also be on offer, featuring a range of flavours, from garlic parmesan, to honey BBQ, to its best-selling signature sauce.
Slim Chickens will add to Festival Place’s increasingly diverse dining offer, joining the recently upsized restaurant from street-food concept, Festival Street Kitchen, and the recently opened independent Mexican-inspired operator, El Bigote. The new entrants join established operators as the centre, including the popular Loungers-owned restaurant, Cosy Club, family-favourite, wagamama, British pizza chain, Pizza Express, and contemporary Latin American concept, Las Iguanas.
Poppy Radford, Asset Manager at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, commented: “The signing of Slim Chickens at Festival Place is the latest in a series of exciting announcements on the destination’s evolving F&B line-up. Joining local favourites like Festival Street Kitchen, Slim Chickens brings great balance given its international renown, as we champion a complementary collection of dining brands. This signing is evidence of the Festival Place’s growing significance throughout the region and the UK, and our commitment to creating a distinct experience for our catchment.”
Ben Blore, Head of Operations at Slim Chickens, added: “We’re thrilled to announce that Slim Chickens will be launching at Festival Place this summer, bringing a touch of Southern hospitality to Basingstoke for the very first time. We’re committed to delivering our iconic menu of fried chicken across the UK, so opening in a key regional hub like Festival Place is an exciting next step in our continued expansion, and we’re excited to welcome old fans and new visitors alike when we open our doors in July.”
The signing of Slim Chickens follows the recent opening of pan-Asian noodle bar, Chopstix, which launched a 2,490 sq ft unit with space for 54 diners on the centre’s ground floor at the beginning of the year.
Lunson Mitchenall and GCW represent Festival Place.