Anchor Bar franchise
2026 filing · March 5, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Anchor Bar at a glance
The Buffalo restaurant credited with the original buffalo wing, serving wings, other food and a full bar. At the end of 2025 there were 17 Anchor Bar locations in the US, 16 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Buffalo, New York
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.2M–$1.85M
- Converting an existing restaurant building
- Franchise fee
- $60,000
- 80% of the then-current fee for each additional location under a development agreement
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus up to 3% for advertising
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 3% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- $3,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 17
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 16
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- +4
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 9
- Most in New York, Texas and Arizona
Support and records
From Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Anchor Bar among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Anchor Bar | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,528,000 | Costs more than 89% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $60,000 | Higher than 88% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 17 | Fewer than 53% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $2,449,992 | Higher than 92% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.6× | Higher than 51% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Anchor Bar franchise costs
Opening converting an existing restaurant building costs an estimated $1,202,000 to $1,854,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS & DÉCOR ($500,000 to $800,000) and KITCHEN EQUIPMENT ($130,000 to $160,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| INITIAL FRANCHISE FEE | $60,000 | ||
| TRAVEL AND LIVING EXPENSES WHILE TRAINING | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| LEASE, UTILITY & SECURITY DEPOSITS | $20,000 | $60,000 | |
| LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS & DÉCOR | $500,000 | $800,000 | |
| DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURAL FEES | $45,000 | $70,000 | |
| POS SYSTEM | $25,000 | $40,000 | |
| KITCHEN EQUIPMENT | $130,000 | $160,000 | |
| TABLEWARE, GLASSWARE & FLATWARE | $35,000 | $50,000 | |
| OFFICE EQUIPMENT | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| BUSINESS LICENSES & PERMITS | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| SIGNAGE | $35,000 | $70,000 | |
| FURNITURE & FIXTURES | $75,000 | $90,000 | |
| AUDIOVISUAL SERVICES & EQUIPMENT | $100,000 | $125,000 | |
| PROFESSIONAL FEES | $20,000 | $50,000 | |
| INITIAL ADVERTISING | $10,000 | $25,000 | |
| INSURANCE | $20,000 | $40,000 | |
| INITIAL INVENTORY | $35,000 | $50,000 | |
| ADDITIONAL FUNDS - 3 Months | $60,000 | $100,000 | |
| Total | $1,202,000 | $1,854,000 | |
Source: Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC, 2026 filing, page 16
Anchor Bar franchise fee
The franchise fee is $60,000, 80% of the then-current fee for each additional location under a development agreement. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus up to 3% for advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 3% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
| Renewal Fee | $3,000 |
| Initial Training Fee | $1,000 per additional trainee (after the first three trainees) |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from page 12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Anchor Bar publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $2,449,992
- Median sales
- $2,287,640
Yearly figures for 2025, covering traditional U.S. franchised restaurants open all of 2025. The average is about 1.6 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 45–46
SBA loans to Anchor Bar franchisees
Lenders approved 15 SBA 7(a) loans for Anchor Bar franchisees from 2016 to 2026, $13.5M in all. All 2 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 13 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Anchor Bar | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / +33% | +3.7% / +27% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 19% / 33% | 2.4% / 12% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical chicken brand is the median of the 34 brands in chicken franchises with three years of counts.
How Anchor Bar compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Anchor Bar is the 97th cheapest to open and the 43rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Anchor Bar | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.2M | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.85M | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $60K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $2.45M | $2.01M | $794K |
| US locations | 17 | 10 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 61 of 113 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 113 brands in chicken franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 12 (0) | 1 | +1 | −1 |
| 2024 | 16 (+4) | 1 | +4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 16 (0) | 1 | +3 | −3 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: chicken franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC, 2026 filing, page 48
Where Anchor Bar locations are
At the end of 2025, Anchor Bar had locations in 9 states. The most are in New York, Texas and Arizona.
- New York6
- Texas4
- Arizona1
- Colorado1
- Georgia1
- Illinois1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Texas | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC, 2026 filing, page 49
Who owns Anchor Bar?
Anchor Bar franchises are sold by Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC.
From Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Anchor Bar filings
The figures on this page come from Anchor Bar Franchise & Development, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 5, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 5, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other chicken franchises
All chicken franchises
Anchor Bar is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.