
Chicken Salad Chick Grew to 335 Locations. Makayla Ekiss Says Catering Execution Helped Fuel the Expansion
From Digital Hospitality by Shawn P. Walchef
June 12, 2026 · 16 min · Episode 646
About this episode
Makayla Ekiss discusses how Chicken Salad Chick scaled its catering operations to support rapid expansion while maintaining quality.
Makayla Ekiss, leader of off-premise growth at Chicken Salad Chick, shares how the 335-unit brand is scaling catering without sacrificing operations. From moving managers out of delivery vehicles and back into restaurants to building a trusted partnership with DeliverThat, Ekiss explains why execution matters more than marketing when it comes to growing catering sales. She also discusses Chicken Salad Chick's rapid expansion, creating buy-in around off-premise channels, and how great hospitality turns first-time catering customers into lifelong fans.
People in this episode
Host: Shawn P. Walchef
Guest: Makayla Ekiss
Topics covered
- catering
- business expansion
- hospitality
- operations
- marketing
Keywords
- catering execution
- business growth
- off-premise channels
- hospitality
- Chicken Salad Chick
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Chicken Salad Chick, DeliverThat
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