Hoots Wings franchise
2023 filing · April 24, 2023Growing
Hoots Wings at a glance
A fast-casual wing restaurant from the Hooters company, serving chicken wings, tenders and sides with limited beer and wine. At the end of 2022 there were 14 Hoots Wings locations in the US, 12 franchised and 2 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Hoots Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2020
- 3 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Atlanta, Georgia
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $415K–$1.13M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales each four-week period, plus 2% to the national ad fund
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2.0% of gross sales; it can rise to 4.0%
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- The greater of $12,500 or 33.3% of the then-current Franchise Fee.
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 14
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 12
- Company-owned
- 2
- Change in 3 years
- +10
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
- States
- 5
- Most in Texas, Illinois and Florida
From Hoots Franchising, LLC’s 2023 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Hoots Wings among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Hoots Wings | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $773,250 | Costs more than 78% 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 | 14 | Fewer than 56% of franchises |
How much a Hoots Wings franchise costs
Opening one Hoots Wings costs an estimated $414,500 to $1,132,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are improvements/signage ($140,000 to $475,000) and furniture, fixtures, equipment, supplies, and small wares ($137,000 to $300,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $27,000 | $30,000 | |
| Real Estate Lease Payments | $4,000 | $12,000 | |
| Improvements/Signage | $140,000 | $475,000 | |
| Technology System | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, Supplies, and Small wares | $137,000 | $300,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Labor and Training | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Costs | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Insurance | $15,000 | $45,000 | |
| Professional Fees, Licenses, Deposits, and Other Prepaid Expenses | $6,500 | $35,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $25,000 | $120,000 | |
| Total | $414,500 | $1,132,000 |
Source: Hoots Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, page 30
Hoots Wings franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Hoots Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, page 21
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales each four-week period, plus 2% to the national ad fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2.0% of gross sales; it can rise to 4.0%. |
| Transfer Application Fee | $2,500 |
| Renewal Fee | The greater of $12,500 or 33.3% of the then-current Franchise Fee. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Hoots Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, page 23
Other fees as filed, from page 24. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Hoots Wings 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: Hoots Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, page 73
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $890K–$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, 2022 / 2020–2022. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Hoots Wings | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +33% / +500% | +3.7% / +27% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 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 Hoots Wings compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Hoots Wings is the 60th cheapest to open and the 47th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Hoots Wings | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $415K | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.13M | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 14 | 10 | 21 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4 (+2) | 3 | +2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 (+5) | 3 | +5 | 0 |
| 2022 | 12 (+3) | 2 | +3 | 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: chicken franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Hoots Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, page 73
Where Hoots Wings locations are
At the end of 2022, Hoots Wings had locations in 5 states. The most are in Texas, Illinois and Florida.
- Texas6
- Illinois3
- Florida2
- Georgia2
- New Jersey1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Illinois | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Florida | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Georgia | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Hoots Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, page 74
Who owns Hoots Wings?
Hoots Wings franchises are sold by Hoots Franchising, LLC. Its ultimate parent is Hawk Parent, LLC.
From Hoots Franchising, LLC’s 2023 filing, page 10.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 17–21. |
|---|---|
| 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: Hoots Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on pages 17–21, bankruptcy on page 21
Hoots Wings filings
The figures on this page come from Hoots Franchising, LLC’s 2023 filing, issued April 24, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | April 24, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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