Popeyes franchise: what it costs
A free-standing Popeyes franchise restaurant takes $1,222,045 to $3,923,245 to open. Its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) says so, and brands must give you those papers ahead of any purchase.
Popeyes franchise cost, item by item
- Total opening cost
- $1,222,045 to $3,923,245 Item 7, 2026 FDD
- Franchise fee you pay one time at the start
- $50,000 Item 5, 2026 FDD
- Royalty, your ongoing payments to the brand
- 5% charged on gross sales Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Marketing fund, which covers shared advertising
- Between 4.6% and 5% of gross sales Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Figures on sales or earnings
- $1,893,675 a year on average across 2,248 locations it counts, before costs Item 19, 2026 FDD
- Locations open when 2025 ended
- Franchise owners ran 3,134 and the company ran 95 Item 20, 2026 FDD
Each figure above comes out of the 2026 Popeyes Franchise Disclosure Document. It was filed by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc at the Minnesota Department of Commerce and carries the date March 20, 2026. Each small label points to the numbered part of the FDD where that figure sits.
Sales and earnings figures inside the Popeyes FDD
Popeyes puts figures in Item 19. That part of the FDD lets a brand say how much its locations sell or earn. Headline figure: $1,893,675 in average yearly sales, covering 2,248 US restaurants that are franchised, free-standing and open through all of 2025. It is money the store takes in, not profit, because rent, wages and every other cost get paid from it.
Before you rely on any number there, our guide explains the way to read Item 19.
Other chicken franchises next to Popeyes
Popeyes costs more to open than most of the chicken franchises compared here; the middle one starts at $1.19M.
| 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. Royalty payments to the brand continue after opening, as a share of sales or a set amount. "Sales or earnings shown" indicates if the brand states how much 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
Popeyes location count
At the end of 2025, the United States had 3,229 Popeyes locations, with franchise owners running 97% 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 Popeyes FDD read by a franchise attorney
Before you sign, one franchise attorney can go through the Popeyes FDD and franchise agreement with you.