'Overwhelming' response to new Slim Chickens restaurant in Avon

AVON — The recent opening of the Slim Chickens restaurant in Avon has drawn "overwhelming" interest from customers, said Jeremy Oravec, Ohio director of operations at the restaurant management group Giesen Management Associates. Oravec said the property at 1822 Nagel Road beside Meijer was chosen for more than just its desirable location in a thriving part of town. He said there are no comparable chicken restaurants within a close radius of Slim Chickens. Oravec said once the dust settles at the new restaurant, it will start to seek more involvement in the community by taking its food truck to local events, festivals and parties. Described as a fast casual chicken restaurant with "Southern rock, blues sort of feel," Oravec said Slim Chickens has a scratch kitchen producing sauces, hand-breaded chicken, fresh chicken wings and more. Side dishes include options not typical in similar chain restaurants, such as hand-breaded mushrooms and pickles. Fried okra is also a side dish on the menu, Oravec said. The hours are set 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week for both the drive-thru and dining room. New Slim Chickens locations are opening in multiple parts of the country, but the Avon restaurant is just the second to open in Northeast Ohio behind another in Streetsboro. The coronavirus pandemic led to delays that affected the Avon location's opening, Oravec said, including slowdowns with equipment, contractors and landscaping. He said the opening was delayed two weeks to make sure the right employees were hired, but also "to get even more people, because the demand was so high." But after the doors were opened, Oravec said the response from the community has been very positive. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.