On Jan. 31, Chicken Salad Chick on Highway 12 permanently closed in Starkville.
Dianna and Cameron Parker, owners of the Chicken Salad Chick in Starkville, shared the reasoning behind their decision to close the restaurant.
“Our sales cut almost in half within the past two years,” Cameron Parker said.
The pair said they were using their personal money to keep the store afloat. In hopes of keeping the Starkville store open, they attempted to move it to a smaller location.
Dianna Parker said the size of the store needed to be cut in half. They had plans of moving it to the space in Midtown between Orange Theory and Strange Brew.
However, this plan was not approved by the corporate sector of Chicken Salad Chick. According to Cameron Parker, Chicken Salad Chick disapproved because the space lacked a private parking lot, and there was no space for a drive thru.
Without the cooperation from the Chicken Salad Chick corporation, the Parkers decided to close their store.
“Instead of continuing to pay out of pocket, we sold it,” Cameron Parker said.
According to the Parkers, the decision did not come without speculation from members of the community. The pair said they faced many accusations and dealt with rumors that were simply untrue.
“We love Starkville, and we tried. We really did try to keep Chicken Salad Chick here,” Dianna Parker said.
This decision shocked many Starkville residents, as there was only a short notice that the store would be closing.
Brayden Flanagan, a sophomore majoring in environmental engineering, was a frequent customer of Chicken Salad Chick. She found out about the news of its closing when a friend called her.
“I was leaving class when my friend called me. We were freaking out,” Flanagan said.
Similarly, employees of the company received news of Chicken Salad Chick’s departure on the Saturday night before the store closed on Monday, Jan. 31.
However, the Parkers did not leave their employees to fend for themselves. While many of their employees were part-time workers, the store had a number of full-time employees who solely relied on their income from Chicken Salad Chick.
“We did go to the people who had kids and supported families and worked full time — they are still on our payroll,” Cameron Parker said.
According to the Parkers, they are giving full-time employees opportunities to work at other businesses the Parkers own. 
While Chicken Salad Chick has closed its doors, a new concept is entering Starkville in the coming months.
The Parkers said they were excited to announce a new restaurant would soon take over the space that Chicken Salad Chick once occupied.
According to Cameron Parker, the business will be more locally focused, so the owners could adapt to what the customers want. It will be a sit down style restaurant with servers and career chefs in the kitchen.
With the new restaurant opening in a few months, the Parkers said they will hire former Chicken Salad Chick employees to join their team.
While the closing of Chicken Salad Chick was difficult for the Parkers, they said they look forward to continuing to work for the Starkville community.
“That is the way we spread love to everybody, we feed people,” Dianna Parker said.