Lucas Barnett is the franchise owner opening the West Valley’s first Slim Chickens location on July 1 at 3630 W. Happy Valley Road in Phoenix, then another one at Loop 101 and Northern Avebue in Glendale.

Franchising is nothing new to Barnett, as he is a second generation franchisee and grew up working for his family’s Burger King restaurants.

He earned a finance degree and worked in Aerospace and Defense M&A for a few years. Barnett fell in love with manufacturing and has learned to tie that in with restaurant franchising. His plans to open three or four restaurants per year.

Aside from bringing fried chicken and Southern-inspired sides to the area, the new Slim Chickens location will also make an economic impact with more than 75 new jobs anticipated.

The Glendale Independent caught up with Barnett for a question and answer session:

Name: Lucas Barnett

Age: 31

Business: Slim Chickens

What is the nature of your business (franchise) and where did the concept first begin to grow?: Slim Chickens opened in 2003 in Fayetteville, Ark., with a focus on fresh, food with a southern flair in a fast-casual setting. Guests can expect fresh chicken tenders and wings cooked to order and served with housemade dipping sauces. With more than 250 locations opened and a following in 34 U.S. states, as well as international locations in the United Kingdom, the brand is an emerging national and international franchise leading the “better chicken” segment. AZ Slims Restaurants is a restaurant operator in partnership with Barnett Management Company, a long-standing restaurant operator in the Valley. AZ Slims Restaurants was created to build and operate Slim Chickens in Arizona

What are the hours? We are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What made the locations just east of Glendale on Happy Valley and near the 101 in Glendale the ideal sites to start expansion in the Valley? We look for heavy traffic areas where we can be a convenient stop for lunch or to pick something up on the way home. We are excited to serve both communities through providing chicken, as well as employment and career growth opportunities.

What unique things about the Slim Chickens concept that should allow it to catch on in the Valley? Our variety. Slim Chickens has a very diverse menu with options for all. We have tenders, bone-in wings, sandwiches, salads, wraps and more, as well as 14 house sauces.

What made you choose this line of work and why is it important or interesting to you? One of my business partners, Shane Jacobs, and I are second generation in this business. We love to bring great food to our community and to provide job opportunities with huge growth potential. We know and love the fact that we are really in the people business, not the food business.

What separates you from your competition? We have many great options on our menu that set us apart from our competition. I like to say that with 14 house sauces, every visit to Slim Chickens customers can have a totally different item/sauce combo. We also run quarterly limited time only offerings like the Big Dill Chicken sandwich, Cookie Dough Shakes and Salted Carmel Cookie Dough Jar.

What civic groups, clubs, organizations or causes do you or your business support or plan to support? We like to be active in the community and because of that we have a special portal where organizations can apply to have a fundraiser night at a store. Once we get up and running, we will make a fundraiser site live for applications and would love to host yan event at our store

What advice would you give to someone contemplating starting their own business? Sometimes getting a business started can feel overwhelming. Nothing replaces hard work, but surrounding yourself with bright, talented and motivated people can help you push through challenges that can sometimes feel too large to face on your own.