KFC franchise: what it costs
Opening a new restaurant as a KFC franchise runs $2,107,575 to $4,155,000, based on its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
KFC franchise cost, item by item
- Opening cost, everything included
- From $2,107,575 up to $4,155,000 Item 7, 2026 FDD
- Franchise fee you pay one time at the start
- $45,000 Item 5, 2026 FDD
- Royalty, your ongoing payments to the brand
- 5% of gross revenue, never less than $1,440 a month Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Marketing fund, which covers shared advertising
- For now it's 5.8% of gross revenue, dropping in later years Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Figures on sales or earnings
- Shared, with no single main number Item 19, 2026 FDD
- Location count as 2025 ended
- Franchise owners ran 3,404; the company ran 86 Item 20, 2026 FDD
Each figure here comes from the 2026 KFC Franchise Disclosure Document. KFC US, LLC filed it at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and its date is March 25, 2026. Each small label points to the numbered part of the FDD where that figure sits.
Sales and earnings figures shown in the KFC FDD
In Item 19, an FDD section where brands may report what their locations sell or earn, KFC provides figures, but there's no single headline number to quote. Before you rely on any of them, go through the Item 19 tables all the way.
Before you lean on one figure in it, see our guide on reading an Item 19.
KFC beside other chicken franchises
KFC costs the most to open of any chicken franchise on this site.
| Brand | Total cost to opentotal, lowest to highest | Upfront feeone-time fee | Royaltyongoing, usually a % of sales | Sales or earnings showndoes the brand show sales figures | Year filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chick-fil-A | $318K to $3.46M | $10,000 | 15% + 50% of profit | Yes | 2026 |
| Chicken Salad Chick | $777K to $999K | $50,000 | 5% | Yes | 2026 |
| Dave's Hot Chicken | $824K to $4.12M | $40,000 | 6% | No | 2026 |
| Slim Chickens | $1.19M to $4.94M | $30,000 | 5% | Yes | 2026 |
| Popeyes | $1.22M to $3.92M | $50,000 | 5% | Yes | 2026 |
| Zaxby's | $1.45M to $3.81M | $35,000 | 6% | Yes | 2025 |
| KFC | $2.11M to $4.16M | $45,000 | 5% | Yes | 2026 |
Before you buy, a brand has to hand over its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD); the brand's latest one is where every figure comes from. A royalty is the portion of revenue, or a set amount, that you keep paying the brand once you open; "Sales or earnings shown" tells you whether the brand reveals what its locations bring in. A K stands for thousand, an M for million. The filing year is the year that FDD was listed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
All chicken franchises, side by side
The number of KFC locations
At the end of 2025, the United States had 3,490 KFC locations, with franchise owners running 98% of them (Item 20). In that same part of the FDD, you get phone numbers for owners still running stores and ones who left. Your best way to learn how these costs play out in real life is to call a few of them.
Get the KFC FDD read by a franchise attorney
Before you sign, one franchise attorney can go through the KFC FDD and franchise agreement with you.