The Red Bird franchise
2025 filing · May 15, 2025
The Red Bird at a glance
A hot chicken shop serving tenders, sandwiches, bowls, fries and home-style sides. At the end of 2024 there were 3 The Red Bird locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- The Red Bird Franchise Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Dover, Delaware
- Typical size
- 1,200–2,300 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $290K–$1.16M
- A traditional shop
- Franchise fee
- $65,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus a 3% marketing contribution (2% to the marketing fund and 1% on local marketing)
- Brand fund
- 3%
- 3% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 3
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 3
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
From The Red Bird Franchise Inc’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
The Red Bird among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Red Bird | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $723,688 | Costs more than 76% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $65,000 | Higher than 92% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 3 | Fewer than 78% of franchises |
How much a The Red Bird franchise costs
Opening a traditional shop costs an estimated $289,500 to $1,157,875. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction (includes permits) ($60,000 to $460,000) and equipment ($35,000 to $150,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $65,000 | ||
| Lease/rent | $10,000 | $71,875 | |
| Construction (includes permits) | $60,000 | $460,000 | |
| Equipment | $35,000 | $150,000 | |
| POS System | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Signage | $10,000 | $35,000 | |
| Opening Advertising | $25,000 | $100,000 | |
| Inventory and Start-up Supplies | $12,500 | $22,500 | |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Training Expenses | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Business Licenses | $1,000 | $3,500 | |
| Architect and Professional Fees | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $50,000 | $150,000 | |
| Security/Utility Deposits | $2,500 | $40,000 | |
| Total | $289,500 | $1,157,875 | |
Source: The Red Bird Franchise Inc, 2025 filing, page 13
The Red Bird franchise fee
The franchise fee is $65,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: The Red Bird Franchise Inc, 2025 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus a 3% marketing contribution (2% to the marketing fund and 1% on local marketing). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: The Red Bird Franchise Inc, 2025 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from page 9. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures The Red Bird 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 Red Bird Franchise Inc, 2025 filing, page 42
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $930K–$1.7M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How The Red Bird compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, The Red Bird is the 28th cheapest to open and the 86th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Red Bird | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $290K | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.16M | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $65K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 3 | 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) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 3 | 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: The Red Bird Franchise Inc, 2025 filing, page 42
Who owns The Red Bird?
The Red Bird franchises are sold by The Red Bird Franchise Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From The Red Bird Franchise Inc’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: The Red Bird Franchise Inc, 2025 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
The Red Bird filings
The figures on this page come from The Red Bird Franchise Inc’s 2025 filing, issued May 15, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | May 15, 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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