Chick-fil-A vs Dave's Hot Chicken: franchise cost side by side

Chick-fil-A is the cheaper of the two to open, from $317,521; Dave's Hot Chicken starts at $823,800.

Every figure comes from the brand's FDD, the disclosure file it must hand you before you sign.

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Chick-fil-A is the cheaper to open, from $317,521.

Dave's Hot Chicken starts at $823,800, the lowest cost to open given in each FDD.

From each FDD	Chick-fil-A	Dave's Hot Chicken
Total cost to open	$317,521 to $3,463,155	$823,800 to $4,121,900
Upfront fee	$10,000	$40,000
Royalty (ongoing fee)	15% of gross receipts (less equipment rent and a services fee) plus 50% of the monthly profit	6% of gross sales
Marketing fund	up to 3.25% of gross receipts, not charged now	4% of gross sales
Published sales	$9,161,239 a year (average of 2,302 locations, 2025)	None published
Outlets	2,795 franchised, 68 company	348 franchised, 10 company
Year filed	2026	2026

More comparisons with Chick-fil-A and Dave's Hot Chicken

Every brand's fee, royalty and Item 7 range is also in one table you can download: the franchise fee comparison.

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