When it comes to fast food, fried chicken franchises rule the roost. Pizzas and Burgers may top the list of most midnight snacks, but fried has a separate fan base.
In the United States, the consumption of fried Chicken per capita is increasing every year, while red meat is in decline mode.
Fried chicken franchises are dominating the market with great margins and have become one of the most successful businesses driven by franchise opportunities.
The main reason behind the popularity of chicken restaurants is their vast menu options and formats, such as quick service restaurants, drive-throughs, food trucks, and other services.
Chicken restaurants make up a hefty portion of the fast-food market, worth about $40 billion. Although the market is already huge, still poised for growth and is projected to grow by 4.5% this year.
If you’re planning to invest in a business, a fried chicken franchise may be a perfect option for you.
In this article, you’ll find the 10 best-fried chicken franchise opportunities for sale in the United States.
All these brands offer abundant franchise opportunities, along with all the support you need to thrive. Let’s dive right in!
10 Best Fried Chicken Franchise Opportunities
Here are the ten best-fried chicken franchises you could invest in:
1. KFC Franchise
| Founded in | 1930 |
| Franchising Since | 1952 |
| Estimated Outlets | 2,769 |
| Initial Investment | $18,120-$36,490 |
| Franchise Fees | $45,000 |
| Liquidity | $750,0000 |
| Royalty Fees | 5% |
Kentucky Fried Chicken, also known as KFC, is a leading American fast-food restaurant chain that specializes in fried Chicken and a huge variety of other chicken and beef dishes, including hamburgers, wraps, sandwiches, and salads.
Famous for its blend of 11 secret herbs and spices, KFC is like McDonald’s of fried Chicken and has been serving the customers its finger-licking good Chicken for decades now.
KFC has a franchise network across 123 countries and actively seeking franchisees to develop multi-unit regions with KFC locations.
The brand offers several franchise opportunities for entrepreneurs, including initial training and support at every step of the way.
Full Information About KFC Franchise
2. Chick-Fil-A Franchise
| Founded in | 2004 |
| Franchising Since | 2018 |
| Estimated Outlets | 6 |
| Initial Investment | $342,990-$1,982,225 |
| Franchise Fees | $10,000 |
| Liquidity | $5,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 15% |
Chick-Fil-A is one of the leading quick-serve fast-food giants that offer a variety of chicken-based dishes.
Founded in 1946, this privately-owned restaurant is associated with the Southern United States; it is slowly becoming America’s favorite fried chicken restaurant with annual earnings of $3.9 billion.
Currently, Chick-FIL-A operates over 2,800 locations in 39 states, most of which gets operated by hand-picked franchisees.
They offer rigorous training and support to their franchisees to run a Chick-Fil-a restaurant successfully.
You’ll be supported throughout by Chick-Fil-A’s experienced team of franchise consultants in everything from site selection to grand opening.
Full Information About Chick-Fil-A Franchise
3. Buffalo Wild Wings Franchise
| Founded in | 1982 |
| Franchising Since | 1992 |
| Estimated Outlets | 1,200 |
| Initial Investment | $1,443,700-$3,589,700 |
| Franchise Fees | $40,000 |
| Liquidity | $750,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 5% |
Buffalo Wild Wings is one of the largest casual dining restaurants in the world, specializing in chicken wings and more.
With a huge selection of chicken wings flavors to choose from, they provide a place for people and families to enjoy a meal in a fun and casual environment.
Apart from this, they offer a variety of other dishes, such as chicken tenders, sandwiches, wraps, shrimp, and more.
Committed to bringing the casual dining experience to everyone, Buffalo Wild Wings offers some fantastic franchise opportunities for international franchisees.
As a franchisee, you’ll be part of the global network of Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants and get access to initial training and variety of ongoing support options, and third-party financing to start and run your business.
Check Detailed Information About Buffalo Wild Wings Franchise
4. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
| Founded in | 1972 |
| Franchising Since | 1976 |
| Estimated Outlets | 3,736 |
| Initial Investment | $500,000-$1,000,000 |
| Franchise Fees | $30,000 |
| Liquidity | $250,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 5% |
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is an American fried chicken chain of quick-service restaurants that offers a limited menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner products.
Popeyes distinguishes itself with a unique Louisiana-style menu featuring spicy wings, fried shrimp, chicken tenders, and other quick service items.
The restaurant has 3,736 locations in the United States, of which only 41 are company-owned.
The company has been continuously expanding over the last few years, which shows that now is the best time to become a Popeyes franchisee.
Popeyes is seeking franchisees in the United States and worldwide. They offer franchisees the opportunity to run their own business by providing relevant training and support.
They offer consistent support in the ownership process, development, and operations to successfully establish your Popeyes restaurant.
Check Detailed Information About Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
5. Epic Wings Franchise
| Founded in | 1982 |
| Franchising Since | 2018 |
| Estimated Outlets | 26 |
| Initial Investment | $462,950-$1,170,700 |
| Franchise Fees | $30,000 |
| Liquidity | $250,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 5% |
Epic Wings is a family-run fast dine franchise specializing in chicken wings, secret sauces, pizza, hand-rolled breadsticks, and side dishes.
Starting as Wings N’ Things in California, in 1982, the restaurant was the first to introduce buffalo wings to the West Coast and all across America.
Epic Wings has more than 20 locations across the United States and pursuing an aggressive approach to expand more.
They offer exciting franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs nationwide to be part of one of the most promising chicken brands.
As an Epic Wings franchisee, you will receive support from the franchise development team throughout, from site selection to store opening and operational training.
Do proper research and explore the opportunity before investing any money.
6. Church’s Chicken Franchise
| Founded in | 1952 |
| Franchising Since | 1969 |
| Estimated Outlets | 1,550 |
| Initial Investment | $681,500-$1,603,300 |
| Franchise Fees | $15,000 |
| Liquidity | $650,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 5% |
Church’s Chicken is another popular fried chicken franchise in the United States.
In the beginning, they only had fried Chicken on the menu and later added mashed potatoes, fries, jalapeno pepper, honey butter biscuits, and other mouthwatering side dishes.
With more than 1,700 locations across the globe, Church’s Chicken offers favorable opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to earn profit by sharing the values of the company.
Franchisor also provides on-the-job training and ongoing support for franchisees, including help in site selection, marketing, and promotions.
To get more details about the support options, you can send a request to the franchisor.
Read In Detailed Church’s Chicken Franchise
7. Zaxby’s Franchise
| Founded in | 1990 |
| Franchising Since | 1995 |
| Estimated Outlets | 908 |
| Initial Investment | $284,000-$664,300 |
| Franchise Fees | $35,000 |
| Liquidity | $500,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 5% |
Zaxby’s is a famous chain of casual dining fast-food restaurants located in the Southwest United States.
Known for its slogan “Real Chicken,” they specialize in a wide range of chicken dishes such as chicken fingers, buffalo wings, fries, sandwiches, and more.
The chain has gained massive popularity in the last few years by collaborating with different celebrities and getting sponsorships and contracts to sell its foods at football and basketball games at division colleges.
Currently, Zaxby’s has more than 908 locations across the United States, of which only 146 are company-owned.
The franchisor grants license for quick casual dining restaurants and provide the initial training and ongoing support essential to run and operate a franchise.
Franchisees must devote their best efforts to meet the standards and run the restaurant as per the franchisor’s requirements.
Read Full Article Zaxby’s Franchise
8. Bojangles Franchise
| Founded in | 1977 |
| Franchising Since | 1978 |
| Estimated Outlets | 775 |
| Initial Investment | $577,000-$3,020,750 |
| Franchise Fees | $35,000 |
| Liquidity | $500,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 4% |
Bojangles Famous Chicken’ n Biscuits is an American chain of fast-food restaurants specializing in fried Chicken with Cajun seasoning, buttermilk biscuits, and iced tea.
The company started franchising after one year after being founded, and since then, it has grown to more than 700 locations.
Apart from being one of the most loved fried chicken chains in the United States, they also offer terrific opportunities for franchisees. More than 400 of their locations are franchisee-owned.
Their well-thought-out business model and reputation of more than 40 years make it one of the best-fried chicken opportunities out there.
Franchisees are offered initial training marketing support and probably benefit from Bojangles’ experienced professionals with years of experience in the industry.
Their marketing will help you select the best locations for your restaurant and advise you on the best practices to expand fast.
Check Full Information Bojangles Franchise
9. Harold’s Chicken Shack Franchise
| Founded in | 1950 |
| Franchising Since | 1950 |
| Estimated Outlets | 40 |
| Initial Investment | $135,000-325,000 |
| Franchise Fees | $35,000 |
| Liquidity | N/A |
| Royalty Fees | N/A |
Harold’s Chicken Shack often referred to as the fried chicken king, is one of the most recognized fried chicken franchises that keeps customers coming back for their scrumptious fried Chicken.
Founded in 1950, they specialize in Chicken and fish and offer a wide range of sides, including shrimp, sandwiches, salads, and desserts.
Their franchise training program is unique, and they are looking for highly motivated and dedicated franchisees to join them.
As a franchisee, you’ll be taught all the knowledge and skills you need to run a successful business and experience first-hand ownership.
They provide on-site training along with ongoing marketing support to develop the brand. It takes approximately 6-9 months to successfully open a franchise.
10. El Pollo Loco Franchise
| Founded in | 1975 |
| Franchising Since | 1987 |
| Estimated Outlets | 485 |
| Initial Investment | $502,000-$1,100,000 |
| Franchise Fees | $40,000 |
| Liquidity | $250,000 |
| Royalty Fees | 4% |
El Poco Loco is one of the best franchise options in the chicken restaurant industry.
It was founded in 1975; this leading quick-service chain specializes in Mexican-style flame-grilled chicken dishes.
Mostly known for their Mexican-style dishes, they have expanded their menu, venturing into chicken meals, burritos, tostadas, and salads.
The restaurant has been franchising for 40 years and currently seeking franchisees in the United States, especially Texas, to invest in multi-unit agreements, preferably a minimum of three locations in 48 months.
Investing in an EL Pollo Loco franchise means you will get the support of the franchise team in site selection and market planning.
They offer seven pre-training for the franchisees and additional help as well.
Read In Detailed El Pollo Loco Franchise
Comparison of Top 5 Fried Chicken Franchise Opportunities
| Company | KFC | Chick-Fil-A | Buffalo Wild Wings | Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | Epic Wings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1930 | 2004 | 1982 | 1972 | 1982 |
| Outlets | 2,769 | 2018 | 1992 | 3,736 | 26 |
| Franchise Fee | $45,000 | $10,000 | $40,000 | $250,000 | $30,000 |
| Initial Investment | $18,120-$36,490 | : $342,990-$1,982,225 | $1,443,700-$3,589,700 | from $500,000-$1,000,000 | $462,950-$1,170,700 |
| Royalty Fee | 5% | 15% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
Conclusion
If you are thinking of investing in a fried chicken business, there is no better time than now. As one of the most thriving markets, the fried chicken industry is showing no signs of slowing.
While it’s true that there are plenty of fried chicken franchise opportunities available, not all opportunities are equally beneficial, and some investments are better than others.
So, it is really important to do your homework before investing in a franchise.
All the fried chicken franchises listed above are the best ones to invest in right now. All of them offer a wide range of opportunities for franchises, and you can choose the one you think fits you the best according to your specific needs.
FAQ
Is The Fried Chicken Business Profitable?
The fried chicken business has always been popular and one of the most lucrative businesses to own in the food industry.
However, some franchises are more profitable than others, with profit margins between 7%-8%.
The gross sales from a chicken franchise can range from $50,000 to over $3 million annually.
The profit margin also varies depending on your menu and location, so make sure to have your distinct menu and best location to make it more profitable.
What Corporate Support Can I Expect from a fried chicken franchise?
The most important component of a franchise business model is the training and support they offer to their potential franchisees to define the difference between starting your business as a franchisee or starting it from scratch.
Look for franchises that offer comprehensive training and post-opening support, assistance in site selection, and marketing support you need to establish and run your business successfully.
How To Choose The Best-Fried Chicken Franchise?
There are certain things you should consider to find the best franchise opportunity.
First of all, determine your budget, analyze your local market and compare features and franchise support options offered by different brands, read the franchise disclosure document, think about what business style works best for you and choose the franchise model that fits your specific needs.
Amit Gupta is the founder of DrFranchises – a digital marketing agency that helps brands rank better on Google Maps through local SEO strategies. Amit has over 11 years of experience in digital marketing, SEO, email marketing, and social media marketing. He’s also the owner of multiple franchises and has helped countless brands achieve success online. When he’s not working, Amit can be found playing with his dog.