Chicken Salad Chick is opening its first Charlotte franchise Tuesday in the Carmel Commons Shopping Center at 11 a.m.

The restaurant is owned and operated by franchisees Julie Beville and Michelle Singleton, who also operate Chicken Salad Chick restaurants in Greenville, Lexington and Columbia.

Not familiar with the company? Here's how they describe themselves: "Chicken Salad Chick...puts an edgy twist on a southern classic, offering customers a “custom-fit” chicken salad experience, with 15 original flavors to choose from, as well as gourmet soups, flavorful side salads and freshly-baked desserts. Corporate offices are located at 724 North Dean Road in Auburn, Alabama. Recently, the franchise has been expanding to other cities throughout Southeast, including Alabama, Florida and Georgia."

The company has about 30 locations open now. "Opening our first of many Charlotte locations is very exciting for us, as we look forward to building a relationship with this great city," said owners Beville and Singleton, in a joint statement. “We can’t wait to bring the best chicken salad in the South to Charlotte next week!”

The duo has plans for up to 10 Charlotte-area Chicken Salad Chick restaurants, and has a second location already planned for Overstreet Mall uptown.

By: Eli Portillo

eliportillo@charlotteobserver.com