Sweet Chick franchise
2025 filing · May 2, 2025Shares sales figures
Sweet Chick at a glance
A restaurant serving chicken and waffles, chicken sandwiches and salads, with a full bar. At the end of 2024 there were 5 Sweet Chick locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- New York, New York
- Typical size
- 1,800–2,400 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.08M–$1.81M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 5
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 5
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
From Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Sweet Chick among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sweet Chick | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,447,300 | Costs more than 89% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 5 | Fewer than 71% of franchises |
How much a Sweet Chick franchise costs
Opening one Sweet Chick costs an estimated $1,081,400 to $1,813,200. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($400,000 to $700,000) and equipment ($250,000 to $400,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Real Estate/Rent | $30,000 | $120,000 | |
| Lease, Utility and Security Deposits | $75,000 | $120,000 | |
| Design & Architectural Fees | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $400,000 | $700,000 | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $30,000 | $70,000 | |
| Equipment | $250,000 | $400,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| POS System and Software | $50,000 | $60,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $1,500 | $3,500 | |
| Business License and Permits | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $70,000 | $90,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $10,000 | ||
| Training Expenses (out-of-pocket costs for up to 3 people) | $8,900 | $11,700 | |
| Insurance | $6,000 | $23,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $70,000 | $80,000 | |
| Total | $1,081,400 | $1,813,200 | |
Source: Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 15
Sweet Chick franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%. |
| Technology Fee | Up to $300 (currently $100) |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from page 10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Sweet Chick publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 50
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.4M–$2.6M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Sweet Chick compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Sweet Chick is the 94th cheapest to open and the 75th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Sweet Chick | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.08M | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.81M | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 5 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 5 | 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: Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, page 53
Who owns Sweet Chick?
Sweet Chick franchises are sold by Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC. It is a subsidiary of Sweet Chick Life Inc.
From Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC’s 2025 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: Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Sweet Chick filings
The figures on this page come from Sweet Chick Franchising, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued May 2, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | May 2, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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