Crimson Coward franchise
2026 filing · April 6, 2026Growing
Crimson Coward at a glance
A Nashville hot chicken restaurant serving spicy fried chicken tenders, sandwiches and sides. At the end of 2025 there were 20 Crimson Coward locations in the US, 19 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Crimson Coward, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Downey, California
- Typical size
- 1,000–2,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $319K–$641K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- $20,000 for a qualifying second restaurant
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- 6.5% of gross revenues, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 1.5%
- 1.5% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 20
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 19
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 1 years
- +14
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 6
- Most in Maryland, Virginia and California
Support and records
From Crimson Coward, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Crimson Coward among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Crimson Coward | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $479,500 | Costs more than 62% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6.5% | Higher than 68% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 20 | Fewer than 50% of franchises |
How much a Crimson Coward franchise costs
Opening one Crimson Coward costs an estimated $318,500 to $640,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2026 filing, page 13
Crimson Coward franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000, $20,000 for a qualifying second restaurant. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2026 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6.5% of gross revenues, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1.5% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
| Local Advertising and Marketing | $500 per month paid to the Franchisor. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from page 10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Crimson Coward does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2026 filing, page 32
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $600K–$1.1M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Crimson Coward franchisees
Lenders approved 2 SBA 7(a) loans for Crimson Coward franchisees in 2023, $330K in all. None has been paid off or charged off 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
How Crimson Coward compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Crimson Coward is the 39th cheapest to open and the 39th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Crimson Coward | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $319K | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $641K | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6.5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1.5% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 20 | 10 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 4.5% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 1 yrs | +280% | +16.7% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5 (+5) | 3 | – | – |
| 2023 | 7 (+2) | 1 | +2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 (+6) | 1 | – | – |
| 2025 | 19 (+6) | 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.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 0 to 19 (+19). The earlier years come from the brand's 2025 filing.
Source: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2026 filing, page 33
2022: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2025 filing, page 34
Where Crimson Coward locations are
At the end of 2025, Crimson Coward had locations in 6 states. The most are in Maryland, Virginia and California.
- Maryland7
- Virginia5
- California4
- Illinois1
- Texas1
- Washington1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Virginia | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| California | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Texas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Washington | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2026 filing, page 34
Who owns Crimson Coward?
Crimson Coward franchises are sold by Crimson Coward, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From Crimson Coward, Inc’s 2026 filing, page 7.
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: Crimson Coward, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Crimson Coward filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Crimson Coward, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 6, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 6, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2025 filing | June 2, 2025 | NASAA depository | Locations, 2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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