Chicken franchises
The typical chicken franchise here costs $1,445,000 to $3,951,200 to open. Sort the table by cost, fee, royalty or number of locations.
- Brands
- 11
- Typical cost
- $1.45M–$3.95M
- Lowest start
- $318KChick-fil-A
- Share earnings
- 9 of 11
All 11 brands
Sort by any column.
| KFC | $2.11M–$4.16M | $45,000 | 4–5.25% | 3,490 | Yes |
| Popeyes | $1.22M–$3.92M | $50,000 | 5% | 3,229 | Yes |
| Chick-fil-A | $318K–$3.46M | $10,000 | 15% + 50% of profit | 2,863 | Yes |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | $2.46M–$4.9M | $25,000 | 5% | 1,178 | Yes |
| Zaxby's | $1.45M–$3.81M | $35,000 | 6% | 969 | Yes |
| Church's Texas Chicken | $1.25M–$1.97M | $20,000 | 5% | 885 | Yes |
| Bojangles | $2.85M–$3.95M | $35,000 | 4% | 867 | Yes |
| El Pollo Loco | $794K–$2.69M | $40,000 | 5% | 503 | Yes |
| Dave's Hot Chicken | $824K–$4.12M | $40,000 | 6% | 358 | No |
| Hooters | $2.74M–$4.7M | $50,000 | 6% | 194 | No |
| Jollibee | $2.11M–$4.59M | $40,000 | 5% | 81 | Yes |
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Chicken franchises: questions
What is the cheapest chicken franchise?
Of the 11 brands here, Chick-fil-A has the lowest estimated starting investment: $317,521 to $3,463,155 to open.
Which chicken franchise is the largest?
KFC, with 3,490 locations (3,404 franchised) at the end of 2025.
What royalty do chicken franchises charge?
Royalties on gross sales in this list run from 4% to 6%, with a median of 5%. Most brands add a separate marketing or brand fund fee.
Which chicken franchises share earnings figures?
9 of 11 share sales or earnings figures, among them Bojangles, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A, Church's Texas Chicken.