Hickory River Smokehouse franchise
2026 filing · April 27, 2026Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Hickory River Smokehouse at a glance
A family barbecue restaurant serving Texas-style barbecue for dine-in and carry-out, with beer and wine. At the end of 2025 there were 5 Hickory River Smokehouse locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2003
- 23 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Shalimar, Florida
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $315K–$675K
- An existing restaurant space
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus a 3% national marketing fee and 1% on local advertising
- Brand fund
- 3%
- 3% of gross sales
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 5
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 5
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- −1
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 2
- Most in Illinois and Ohio
Support and records
From Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 63; 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
Hickory River Smokehouse among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Hickory River Smokehouse | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $494,750 | Costs more than 63% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 5 | Fewer than 71% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $1,806,213 | Higher than 84% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 3.7× | Higher than 84% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Hickory River Smokehouse franchise costs
Opening an existing restaurant space costs an estimated $315,000 to $674,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are furniture, fixtures and equipment ($80,000 to $250,000) and leasehold improvements ($73,500 to $175,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $73,500 | $175,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $80,000 | $250,000 | |
| Signage | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Computer System/POS | $4,500 | $6,500 | |
| Lease & Utility Security Deposits | $500 | $15,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $12,500 | $20,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Training | $18,000 | $29,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising/Marketing | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Beer and Wine License | $750 | $5,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $1,000 | $10,000 | |
| Business License and Permits | $250 | $1,000 | |
| Opening Team Travel Expenses | $6,500 | $8,000 | |
| Additional Funds(12) (3 month period) | $60,000 | $75,000 | |
| Total | $315,000 | $674,500 | |
Source: Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Hickory River Smokehouse franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc, 2026 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus a 3% national marketing fee and 1% on local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of gross sales. |
| Computer System/POS | $4,500 |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 |
| Local Advertising | 1% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc, 2026 filing, page 8
Other fees as filed, from pages 8–10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Hickory River Smokehouse publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $1,806,213
- Median revenue
- $1,536,579
Yearly figures for 2025, covering franchised restaurants open all of 2025 and 2024. The average is about 3.7 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: Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc, 2026 filing, page 33
SBA loans to Hickory River Smokehouse franchisees
Lenders approved one SBA 504 loan for a Hickory River Smokehouse franchisee in 2013, for $373K. It hasn’t 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
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Hickory River Smokehouse | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / −17% | 0% / +3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 17% | 2.5% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical restaurant brand is the median of the 301 brands in restaurant franchises with three years of counts.
How Hickory River Smokehouse compares
Of the 813 restaurant franchises on this site, Hickory River Smokehouse is the 275th cheapest to open and the 541st largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Hickory River Smokehouse | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $315K | $408K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $675K | $866K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $1.81M | $1.3M | $794K |
| US locations | 5 | 14 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 474 of 813 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 813 brands in restaurant franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 (−1) | 0 | 0 | −1 |
| 2025 | 5 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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: franchise failure rates.
Source: Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc, 2026 filing, page 34
Where Hickory River Smokehouse locations are
At the end of 2025, Hickory River Smokehouse had franchised locations in 2 states. The most are in Illinois and Ohio.
- Illinois4
- Ohio1
Source: Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc, 2026 filing, page 35
Who owns Hickory River Smokehouse?
Hickory River Smokehouse franchises are sold by Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc.
From Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc’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: Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Hickory River Smokehouse filings
The figures on this page come from Hickory River Smokehouse, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 27, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 27, 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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