Chicken Salad Chick franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.19 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$50,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of Gross Sales (minimum $600), paid semi-monthly on the 5th and 20th

Marketing contribution

2% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Not to exceed $500 per month, but franchisor does not currently provide these services or charge a set fee

Other fees

Management fee up to 10% of Gross Sales if franchisor assumes management; new personnel training $5,000 per session (up to 3 people); audit cost reimbursement if understatement exceeds 3%

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

Additional Funds - 3 months: $20,000 - $30,000 (labor, supplies, rent, utilities; excludes owner draw or salary)

Fees sourceFDD p.14 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.19 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average, median, and high/low annual Gross Sales for franchised and affiliate-owned restaurants; partial operating statements with EBITDA for affiliate-owned restaurants

Reporting period

Calendar year 2025

Sample

214 franchised restaurants and 69 affiliate-owned restaurants open all of 2025 (47 restaurants excluded)

Reported average

$1,496,540

Reported median

$1,500,394

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.53 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

206

Year-end outlets

252

Net change

+46

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

49

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

3

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

22

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.59 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

41 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$925,200

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

31 loans

Historical charge-off share

31.25%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

5 / 16

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Chicken Salad Chick franchise cost?

Standard (non-Drive-Thru), single unit: $777,000 to $998,500; Drive-Thru, single unit: $802,000 to $1,033,500; Area development (min. 2 units), non-Drive-Thru: $797,000 to $1,018,500; Area development (min. 2 units), Drive-Thru: $822,000 to $1,053,500 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $50,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.19 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Chicken Salad Chick owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average, median, and high/low annual Gross Sales for franchised and affiliate-owned restaurants; partial operating statements with EBITDA for affiliate-owned restaurants. Sample: 214 franchised restaurants and 69 affiliate-owned restaurants open all of 2025 (47 restaurants excluded). Period: Calendar year 2025.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.53 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Chicken Salad Chick?

31.25%; numerator / denominator: 5 / 16. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $925,200; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 31 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗