Starbird franchise
2023 filing · May 15, 2023Shares sales figures
Starbird at a glance
A fast-casual restaurant serving chicken sandwiches, tenders and bowls for dine-in, take-out and delivery. At the end of 2022 there were 7 Starbird locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Starbird Franchising LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2022
- Franchisor based in
- San Francisco, California
- Typical size
- 2,000–2,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.12M–$1.66M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of net sales, paid weekly, plus 3% for marketing (split between brand funds and local marketing)
- Brand fund
- 3%
- 3% of net sales, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- Greater of $20,000 or 50% of our then-current initial franchise fee
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 7
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 7
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
Support and records
From Starbird Franchising LLC’s 2023 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Starbird among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Starbird | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,386,835 | Costs more than 88% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 7 | Fewer than 66% of franchises |
How much a Starbird franchise costs
Opening one Starbird costs an estimated $1,116,907 to $1,656,763. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction & signage costs ($530,000 to $893,000) and furniture, fixtures, & eqpt ($320,000 to $330,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Lease | $23,333 | $75,000 | |
| Utility Deposit | $0 | $4,500 | |
| Architect Fees | $50,000 | $100,000 | |
| Construction & Signage Costs | $530,000 | $893,000 | |
| Expenses for Initial Training | $25,000 | $29,000 | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Business Insurance | $8,000 | $15,000 | |
| Initial Inventory and Smallwares | $28,574 | $36,763 | |
| Computer Hardware & Software | $29,500 | $33,500 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, & Eqpt | $320,000 | $330,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $30,000 | $35,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $6,000 | $10,000 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $1,116,907 | $1,656,763 | |
Source: Starbird Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 16
Starbird franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Starbird Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of net sales, paid weekly, plus 3% for marketing (split between brand funds and local marketing). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of net sales, paid weekly. |
| Technology Fee | Currently, $780. |
| Renewal Fee | Greater of $20,000 or 50% of our then-current initial franchise fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Starbird Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Starbird publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Starbird Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 51
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.4M–$2.5M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Starbird compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Starbird is the 95th cheapest to open and the 66th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Starbird | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.12M | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.66M | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 (0) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 7 | 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: chicken franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Starbird Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 55
Who owns Starbird?
Starbird franchises are sold by Starbird Franchising LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Starbird Franchising LLC’s 2023 filing, page 6.
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: Starbird Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Starbird filings
The figures on this page come from Starbird Franchising LLC’s 2023 filing, issued May 15, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | May 15, 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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