Slim Chickens franchise: what it costs
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), which the brand has to hand over before you buy, puts opening a Slim Chickens franchise at $1,188,900 to $4,944,000.
Slim Chickens franchise cost, item by item
- Total cost of opening
- Between $1,188,900 and $4,944,000 Item 7, 2026 FDD
- Franchise fee you pay one time at the start
- $30,000 Item 5, 2026 FDD
- Royalty, your ongoing payments to the brand
- Gross sales: 5% Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Marketing fund, which covers shared advertising
- 2% taken from gross sales Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Figures on sales or earnings
- $2,351,047 a year on average across 166 locations it counts, before costs Item 19, 2026 FDD
- Locations as 2025 ended
- Franchise owners ran 204, the company ran 11 Item 20, 2026 FDD
Every figure above comes from the 2026 Slim Chickens Franchise Disclosure Document, filed by Slim Chicken's Development Company, LLC with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, dated April 29, 2026 and amended August 3, 2026. Each small label points to the numbered part of the FDD where that figure sits.
Sales and earnings numbers from the Slim Chickens FDD
Item 19 is where Slim Chickens gives figures; in that FDD part, a brand may state sales or earnings for its locations. Across 166 standard franchised restaurants in the US, open all of 2025, the key number is sales averaging $2,351,047 a year. It is money the store takes in, not profit, because rent, wages and every other cost get paid from it.
Our guide walks you through reading an Item 19 ahead of trusting any number in it.
Slim Chickens compared with other chicken franchises
Among the chicken franchises on this site, Slim Chickens costs more than most to open; 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. After you open, the royalty is the part of sales, or the set amount, still paid to the brand; "Sales or earnings shown" tells if a brand shares what locations take 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 Slim Chickens locations
Slim Chickens had 215 United States locations when 2025 closed; 95% were run by franchise owners (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 Slim Chickens FDD read by a franchise attorney
Before you sign, one franchise attorney can go through the Slim Chickens FDD and franchise agreement with you.