Chuck's Hot Chicken franchise
2026 filing · April 30, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Chuck's Hot Chicken at a glance
A quick-service restaurant serving Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, strips and bone-in chicken. At the end of 2025 there were 5 Chuck's Hot Chicken locations in the US, 4 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2022
- 4 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Maryland Heights, Missouri
- Typical size
- 1,400–2,800 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $499K–$821K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 5.5% of gross revenue, paid monthly, plus currently $1,500 a month to the brand fund and local marketing of 3% of gross revenue
- Brand fund
- Yes
- $1,500 a month; it can rise to 3% of gross revenue
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 5
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 4
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- +3
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Missouri
Support and records
From Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 110; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Chuck's Hot Chicken among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Chuck's Hot Chicken | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $659,950 | Costs more than 74% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5.5% | Lower than 66% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 5 | Fewer than 71% of franchises |
How much a Chuck's Hot Chicken franchise costs
Opening one Chuck's Hot Chicken costs an estimated $499,200 to $820,700. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($215,000 to $420,000) and furniture, fixtures & equipment ($150,000 to $175,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Your Training Expenses | $500 | $8,000 | |
| Premises Deposits | $4,500 | $20,000 | |
| Professional Design | $8,000 | $15,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $215,000 | $420,000 | |
| Architectural Review Fee | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Travel Expenses | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Independent Site Analysis | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Signage | $35,000 | $50,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $150,000 | $175,000 | |
| Uniforms | $1,100 | $2,100 | |
| Computer Systems | $1,600 | $3,600 | |
| Social Media Set-up & Brand Sync | $0 | $1,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $5,000 | $8,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Licenses and Permits | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,500 | $8,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $499,200 | $820,700 | |
Source: Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 15
Chuck's Hot Chicken franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross revenue, paid monthly, plus currently $1,500 a month to the brand fund and local marketing of 3% of gross revenue. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | $1,500 a month; it can rise to 3% of gross revenue. |
| System Technology Fee | $449.22 |
| Required Minimum Expenditure for Local Marketing and Advertising | 3% of Gross Revenue |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, pages 9 and 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Chuck's Hot Chicken publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 36
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $900K–$1.6M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Chuck's Hot Chicken | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −20% / +300% | +3.7% / +27% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 20% / 100% | 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 Chuck's Hot Chicken compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Chuck's Hot Chicken is the 70th cheapest to open and the 72nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Chuck's Hot Chicken | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $499K | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $821K | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5.5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 5 | 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 | 2 (+1) | 2 | +1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 (+3) | 1 | +3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 (−1) | 1 | 0 | −1 |
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: Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 37
Where Chuck's Hot Chicken locations are
At the end of 2025, Chuck's Hot Chicken had locations in 1 state. The most are in Missouri.
- Missouri5
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Source: Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 37
Who owns Chuck's Hot Chicken?
Chuck's Hot Chicken franchises are sold by Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC’s 2026 filing, page 7.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 9. |
|---|---|
| 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: Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Chuck's Hot Chicken filings
The figures on this page come from Chuck's Hot Chicken Franchising LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 30, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 30, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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