Fast and healthy chicken salad chain roosts in San Antonio with 2 new outposts

Same chickens, new coop

Photo courtesy of Chicken Salad Chick

Texas is not exactly known for its delis, so Chicken Salad Chick may be a sight for sore eyes in San Antonio. The Alabama-based concept has been popular in Texas: It opened its 24th restaurant in the state and the first in San Antonio on January 31, following through on a 2021 announcement to bring eight locations to the area in the next few years. A second location is set come clucking in February, pushing the chain's total number of restaurants in the United States past 220.

For now, the first restaurant is in the Stone Oak neighborhood at 22831 N US Hwy 281, where it serves a dozen flavors including a traditional southern flavor with sweet pickles and eggs, and more adventurous flavors like buffalo sauce or lemon and basil. These come on lettuce, bread, and sometimes croissants (although these do not appear on the San Antonio menu online). With an order-ahead app and a drive-through window, this fast concept gets even faster.

"We are thrilled to introduce this unique concept to San Antonio,” said San Antonio franchise co-owner James Oberg in a release. “In fact, we love Chicken Salad Chick so much, we already have our second location in Westover Hills opening in just a few weeks and have plans for more. The brand sets itself apart with its made from scratch menu, core values focused on enriching the community and commitment to serving guests.”

The restaurant is taking this grand opening opportunity, starting February 8, to delve into that giveback goal with daily giveaways as well as a friends-and-family fundraiser benefiting the Children's Hospital of San Antonio Foundation, Christus Health.

On Wednesday, February 8, the first 100 guests will receive one large container of chicken salad every month for a year. One of those winners will be randomly selected to receive their prize weekly, instead. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the first 50 guests to make specific purchases will receive a prize: a tote bag, a small cooler, and a large cooler, respectively. Guests can arrive starting at 7 am for grand opening day only.

Oberg presents this franchise with co-owners Jeff Rochelle and George Shaw, who call San Antonio their hometown and have owned some Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers restaurants for almost 20 years.

Chicken Salad Chick is open now, Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm. On Wednesday, February 8, guests may begin arriving at 7 am to check in for the grand opening, but will have to return later between 9:45-11:15 am, depending on their assigned time. Chicken Salad Chick will post more about giveaway terms on Facebook.

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H-E-B soars to No. 2 in Forbes' prestigious list of best employers in Texas, plus more top stories

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Editor's note: It’s that time again — time to check in with our top stories. From animal crossings to page turning, here are five articles that captured our collective attention over the past seven days.

1. H-E-B soars to No. 2 in Forbes' prestigious list of best employers in Texas. In addition to being based in San Antonio, H-E-B operates more than 300 stores in Texas and employs 154,000 people.

2. Wildlife advocacy tour treks to San Antonio's spectacular land bridge. The land bridge is getting national attention through a promotional road trip meant to highlight the structure's role in protecting local ecosystems.

3. Texas Book Festival releases full lineup of 300 authors, including Roxane Gay and Ali Hazelwood. The weekend will be full of panel discussions, author readings, book signings, and much more.

4. San Antonio foundation pounces on bold program to return ocelots to the wild. Following the proposal, the East Foundation will release ocelots onto a section of its San Antonio Viejo Ranch.

5. Famous furniture store Louis Shanks shutters last remaining San Antonio location. The furniture retailer first opened in 1945, with the San Antonio store opening in 1983.

San Antonio International Airport clears runway for 1st nonstop flight to Europe

booking tix now

Big news for Texas travelers: San Antonio International Airport's first-ever nonstop flights to Europe will begin in 2024.

Passengers can now book tickets via Condor Airlines for flights from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) to Germany's Frankfurt Airport (FRA) between May 17 and September 6, 2024. Flights will initially operate three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays – and flights to Frankfurt are expected to take a little more than 10 hours, while flights coming in from overseas will last about 11.5 hours.

The seasonal service is a "spectacular win" for the city, according to Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and could bring in an estimated $34 million annually. The airport has been seeing wins left and right, having just been named one of the nation's least stressful airports, and consistently handling busier and busier days.

"Germany is where San Antonio has the most demand for travel in Europe because of the cultural, historic, tourism, military, and business ties," Mayor Nirenberg said in a news conference on September 21.

San Antonio Airport System Director of Airports Jesus Saenz foreshadows that the SAT-FRA flight is "just the beginning" of possible flight expansions for the airport in the future.

"We fully believe San Antonio will utilize this service to Europe and take advantage of Condor’s extremely competitive airfares," he said. "Once that happens, we anticipate Condor will expand their services even further."

The airline will be using a brand new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft for the nonstop flights, which features 30 business class seats, 64 premium economy seats, and 216 economy seats.

"With our growing fleet of A330neos, we can provide better travel options to more Americans every year," said Condor CEO Ralf Teckentrup said in a release. "I am particularly proud to offer the only nonstop connection from San Antonio, Texas to Frankfurt, Germany – the heart of Europe, where travelers can enjoy the popular touristic sights of Germany or travel beyond conveniently by air, road, or rail. I invite everyone to try out our newest and most luxurious in-flight experience ever."

Monday flights will depart from SAT at 10:05 pm and arrive in Frankfurt at 3:20 pm the following day. Returning flights from FRA on Mondays will depart at 3:40 pm and arrive at SAT at 8:05 pm.

For Wednesday and Friday flights, departures from SAT will take place at 8:25 pm and arrive at FRA at 1:40 pm the next day. Returning flights from FRA will depart at 2:00 pm and arrive at SAT at 6:25 pm.

New honky-tonk surprisingly two-steps into St. Paul's Square

SPUR OF THE MOMENT

When Steve Mahoney first relaunched Francis Bogside and sibling wine bar, Anne’s, in the former home of Smoke BBQ, rumors circulated on how he would use the expansive upstairs space. Now, San Antonio has its answer. In a surprise move, the veteran bar owner debuted his latest venture — honky-tonk concept Blayne’s — on September 22.

The name pays homage to the late Blayne Tucker, the former co-owner of the Mix and managing partner of Floore’s Country Store. A tireless advocate for the city’s musical scene, he helped usher in the Save Our Stages Act, assisting hundreds of venues to stay afloat nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“[Blayne’s] impact in San Antonio is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Mahoney via a release. “We hope to continue his efforts and support live music in the city.”

Fittingly, music will be in the air at Blayne’s, starting with The Babylonz and DJ Guero Vaquero from 5 pm to 2 am on the soft opening night. A large dance floor, pool tables, and bar games complete the honky-tonk vibe.

Like many of Mahoney’s bars, Blayne’s has a solid food program. The Tex-Mex fusion menu features eclectic pub grub like red curry short rib mini tacos, southwest eggrolls, street corn bites, smoked barbacoa pizza, and customizable nachos. The initial press announcement didn’t deeply discuss the drink options but promised margaritas, house cocktails, and beer.

Though no official announcement has been made, Mahoney has another bar up his sleeve. The Francis Bogside website teases the January 2024 opening of Robert’s, named after Mahoney’s late business partner, Robert Darilek. Details, including the location, are slim, but the landing page touts “feature club-style seating, an extensive whiskey list, and a cigar menu.”

Following the September 22 sneak peek, Blayne’s will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 5 pm to 2 am.

Photo by TXTroublemaker

Blayne's food menu includes red curry short rib mini tacos.

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