Chicken in a Barrel BBQ Franchise Review & Verdict (2026)

Product details

Contents

Key facts


The Verdict

Quick Verdict · who it fits

Chicken in a Barrel BBQ fits first-time franchise buyers looking for an emerging food & beverage concept.

✓ Strengths

Key FDD Facts

The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.

Initial investment (Item 7)

$228K - $596K

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$35K

Royalty (Item 6)

6% + 2% ad

Item 19 median rev

$866k population not disclosed in this filing

System size (Item 20)

6 +1

Years in business

10+ yrs

Company-owned units

1

Model Chicken in a Barrel BBQ's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.

Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.

What you'd pay the franchisor

Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 2% on gross sales.

PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$870,000

$100k$2M

Royalty (6%)

Ad fund (2%)

Total / year

▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration

Industry Benchmarks

How Chicken in a Barrel BBQ ranks against 749 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.

Initial investment

29th pct · of 749 peers

Franchise fee

36th pct · of 749 peers

System size

24th pct · of 749 peers

Food & Beverage industry averages

Avg investment

$589K - $1.4M

Avg franchise fee

$37K

Avg system size

261

Franchises analyzed

749

How Chicken in a Barrel BBQ stacks up

Closest concepts by category and investment.

Brand Item 19 Fee Investment Royalty Units
Chicken in a Barrel BBQ Disclosed $35K $228K - $596K 6% 6
Primos Franchise Holdings ViiiSimilar price None $40K $100K - $595K 5% 9
Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system None $15K $227K - $630K 8% 18,773
Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category Disclosed $50K $3.5M - $6.4M 5.5% 33

Compare side-by-side ↗

Not sure Chicken in a Barrel BBQ is the one?

Answer five questions and get matched against 2,000+ analyzed FDDs — including every Food & Beverage brand we cover. Free, no account needed.

Find My Match →

Franchise research guides

Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.

Brand Analysis

Is Chipotle a Franchise? Why All 4,000+ US Locations Are Corporate

Chipotle reported 4,186 company-operated restaurants and 15 international licensed restaurants as of June 30, 2026. None are franchised, there is no FDD, and there is nothing to apply for. Qdoba is the franchised version of the same order line, and its 12/25 FDD puts a traditional restaurant at $548,100 to $1,294,000.

Learn more →

Brand Analysis

Is Cracker Barrel a Franchise? No. It Never Has Been

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. reported 656 company-operated stores in 43 states as of January 30, 2026, and the brand has never sold a franchise. Huddle House and Another Broken Egg cover the same daypart with filed FDDs, at $555,375 to $1,715,275 and $792,500 to $1,804,000.

Learn more →

Brand Analysis

Is Häagen-Dazs a Franchise? Yes, and the Brand Has Three Owners

The Häagen-Dazs Shoppe Company franchises the ice cream shops on a $30,000 fee and a 4% royalty, with a 2026 Item 7 range of $213,329 to $591,579. The trademark belongs to a different company, and the ice cream you are required to buy comes from a third.

Learn more →

Get franchise information FREE

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Chicken in a Barrel BBQ franchise cost?

Chicken in a Barrel BBQ requires a $35,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $228,000–$595,500, per the most recent FDD on file.

Who owns Chicken in a Barrel BBQ?

Chicken in a Barrel BBQ is franchised by Chicken in a Barrel Franchising, LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.

Does Chicken in a Barrel BBQ disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Yes. Chicken in a Barrel BBQ discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $866,155. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.

What ongoing fees does Chicken in a Barrel BBQ charge?

Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% and an advertising fund contribution of Up to 2% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.

How many Chicken in a Barrel BBQ locations are there?

As of their 2026 FDD, Chicken in a Barrel BBQ has 6 total locations, with 1 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.

Cite this page

Related on this site


This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt

Site index for AI agents: llms.txt · sitemap