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

More episodes of Digital Hospitality

• He Entered the Craft Beer Boom at the Perfect Time — Now Gordon Brown Says the Industry Is Reinventing Itself Again · June 10, 2026 · 28 min
• How Tiki Taco Uses KNOW To Build Operational Consistency · June 8, 2026 · 18 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Digital Hospitality podcast page.