Top chicken franchises
Opening costs for these 7 chicken franchises run from $318K to $4.94M.
| Brand | total, lowest to highest | one-time fee | ongoing, usually a % of sales | does 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. Once you're open, the royalty is what you still owe the brand: a share of sales or a set amount. "Sales or earnings shown" indicates whether the brand discloses its locations' revenue. 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.
What does it cost to open a chicken franchise?
$1,188,900 is the middle entry cost across this group. At $317,521, Chick-fil-A has the lowest entry cost, while a Slim Chickens opening can reach $4,944,000 at the top. Expect initial franchise fees of $10,000 to $50,000 across these brands.
Franchise brands that share earnings data
Earnings figures appear in Item 19 of the FDD for 6 of the 7. Those brands share no sales figures at all; ask their current owners what the numbers look like, then check this Item 19 guide.
Weighing up chicken franchises?
A franchise consultant can shortlist chicken franchises that fit your cash and your area.