The Budlong franchise
2025 filing · April 30, 2025
The Budlong at a glance
A quick-service restaurant serving spicy fried chicken, chicken sandwiches and sides. At the end of 2024 there were 6 The Budlong locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2023
- 2 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- South Elgin, Illinois
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $135K–$828K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Discounted for veterans
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of monthly gross revenue, paid by the 15th of each month
- Brand fund
- 2.5%
- 2.5% of monthly gross revenue, paid monthly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 6
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 6
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 2
- Most in Illinois and Texas
From The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
The Budlong among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Budlong | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $481,325 | 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% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 6 | Fewer than 69% of franchises |
How much a The Budlong franchise costs
Opening one The Budlong costs an estimated $134,650 to $828,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are real estate improvements ($10,000 to $300,000) and equipment, furniture, fixtures, décor, and supplies ($25,000 to $300,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | ||
| Initial training fee | $0 | $3,000 | |
| Travel, lodging, food, and other expenses while training | $150 | $1,500 | |
| Real estate improvements | $10,000 | $300,000 | |
| Rent (3 months of rent, plus a security deposit) | $10,000 | $40,000 | |
| Equipment, furniture, fixtures, décor, and supplies | $25,000 | $300,000 | |
| POS system, computer hardware, security system and software | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| Signs | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| Miscellaneous opening costs | $9,000 | $31,000 | |
| Insurance Premiums | $3,000 | $7,500 | |
| Opening inventory | $7,500 | $15,000 | |
| Advertising (3 months) | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Additional funds (3 months) | $20,000 | $40,000 | |
| Total | $134,650 | $828,000 | |
Source: The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC, 2025 filing, page 21
The Budlong franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000, discounted for veterans. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC, 2025 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of monthly gross revenue, paid by the 15th of each month. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2.5% of monthly gross revenue, paid monthly. |
| Technology Fee | Currently, $0 |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| New Operating Principal or New Manager Training | $250 per day per person |
| Local Marketing Fee | 1.5% of monthly gross revenue payable to us |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC, 2025 filing, page 15
Other fees as filed, from pages 16–19. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures The Budlong 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: The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC, 2025 filing, page 50
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $790K–$1.4M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How The Budlong compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, The Budlong is the 7th cheapest to open and the 67th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Budlong | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $135K | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $828K | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2.5% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 6 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 6 | 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, franchises for veterans and franchise failure rates.
Source: The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC, 2025 filing, page 50
Where The Budlong locations are
At the end of 2024, The Budlong had locations in 2 states. The most are in Illinois and Texas.
- Illinois5
- Texas1
Source: The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC, 2025 filing, page 51
Who owns The Budlong?
The Budlong franchises are sold by The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC.
The Budlong is one of the 5 Craveworthy Brands franchises here.
From The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC’s 2025 filing.
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 13–14. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | No bankruptcy of the franchisor. An officer of its parent companies was an officer of Roti Restaurants, LLC when it filed for Chapter 11 in August 2024; the plan was confirmed in February 2025. |
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: The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 13–14, bankruptcy on page 14
The Budlong filings
The figures on this page come from The Budlong Franchise Nevada LLC’s 2025 filing, issued April 30, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | April 30, 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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