Quick Verdict · who it fits
Dave's Hot Chicken Franchise Co. SPV LLC fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$824K - $4.1M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$40K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 4% ad
System size (Item 20)
348 +117
Years in business
20+ yrs
Company-owned units
10
Item 3 litigation
4 suits
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory•Owner-operator required✓No bankruptcy disclosed•4 Item 3 cases
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.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 4% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (4%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
358
Total units open
348 franchised + 10 company-owned as of December 31, 2025
117 franchised units
Units opened last year
2025
2
Units closed last year
1 ceased operations + 1 reacquired by franchisor
115 units
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
3
Questions to ask
How Dave's Hot Chicken ranks against 561 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
83rd pct · of 561 peers
Franchise fee
56th pct · of 561 peers
System size
85th pct · of 561 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$594K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$44K
Avg system size
346
Franchises analyzed
561
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave's Hot Chicken | None | $40K | $824K - $4.1M | 6% | 348 |
| Hawaiian BrosSimilar price | Disclosed | $50K | $1.2M - $4.1M | 6% | 31 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | Disclosed | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Dave's Hot Chicken Franchise Co. SPV LLC requires a $40,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $823,800–$4,121,900, per the most recent FDD on file.
No. Dave's Hot Chicken Franchise Co. SPV LLC does not include a financial performance representation in its FDD. Prospective buyers should rely on validation calls with existing franchisees and benchmark against industry medians.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% and an advertising fund contribution of 4% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Dave's Hot Chicken Franchise Co. SPV LLC has 348 total locations, with 117 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. Dave's Hot Chicken Franchise Co. SPV LLC does not grant exclusive territory rights under Item 12. The franchisor retains the right to operate or grant additional units inside or adjacent to your trade area.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt