Church's Texas Chicken franchise
Church's Texas Chicken is a fried chicken chain founded in San Antonio, serving bone-in chicken, tenders, sandwiches and honey-butter biscuits at low prices. At the end of 2025 there were 885 Church's Texas Chicken locations in the US, 722 franchised and 163 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $1.25M–$1.97M
- Franchise fee
- $20,000
- Royalty
- 5%
- Locations, 2025
- 885−45 in 3 yrs
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Company snapshot
- Franchising since
- 1964
- First location
- 1952
- Franchisor based in
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Territory
- No exclusive territory
- Financing
- None offered
From Cajun Global LLC’s 2026 filing.
How much a Church's Texas Chicken franchise costs
Opening a new free-standing Church's restaurant, excluding real estate costs an estimated $1,252,400 to $1,970,300. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
| Other formats in Item 7 | $659,725 to $1,380,300 |
|---|
Source: Cajun Global LLC, 2026 filing, page 25
Church's Texas Chicken franchise fee
The franchise fee is $20,000, per restaurant, plus a $10,000 development fee per restaurant under a development agreement. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Cajun Global LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly (reduced in the first years under development incentives). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 5% of gross sales |
Source: Cajun Global LLC, 2026 filing, page 20
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Church's Texas Chicken publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: it reports fiscal 2025 gross sales for restaurants open all 52 weeks. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Cajun Global LLC, 2026 filing, page 56
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 744 (−23) | 156 | 29 |
| 2024 | 714 (−30) | 159 | 37 |
| 2025 | 722 (+8) | 163 | 13 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
Source: Cajun Global LLC, 2026 filing, page 65
How Church's Texas Chicken compares
Of the 11 chicken franchises on this site, Church's Texas Chicken is the 5th cheapest to open and the 6th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Church's Texas Chicken | Typical chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.25M | $1.45M |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% |
| Closed or left per year | 3.5% | 1.9% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | −5.9% | +8.6% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 9 of 11 |
Typical is the median across the 11 brands in chicken franchises.
Other chicken franchises
Church's Texas Chicken franchise questions
Does Church's Texas Chicken help with financing?
No. Church's Texas Chicken does not offer financing or guarantee loans or leases, so buyers arrange their own, usually a bank or SBA loan.
Do Church's Texas Chicken franchisees get a protected territory?
No. Church's Texas Chicken grants the right to run one location but no exclusive area, so another Church's Texas Chicken can open nearby.
Is Church's Texas Chicken growing or shrinking?
Over the last 3 years 34 franchised locations opened and 79 closed or left, a net change of −5.9%. About 3.5% of locations closed or left each year. That is above the 1.9% typical for chicken franchises.
How does Church's Texas Chicken compare with other chicken franchises?
Of the 11 chicken franchises here, Church's Texas Chicken is the 5th cheapest to open (low end $1.25M against a $1.45M median) and the 6th largest by number of locations. Its 5% royalty is in line with the 5% median.
Does Church's Texas Chicken say how much franchisees make?
Yes: it reports fiscal 2025 gross sales for restaurants open all 52 weeks. Your results can differ; the filing explains which locations are counted.
Where is Church's Texas Chicken based?
Cajun Global LLC is based in Atlanta, Georgia and the brand has sold franchises since 1964; the first location opened in 1952.