Quick Verdict · who it fits
Chicken Salad Chick 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)
$777K - $1.0M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$50K
Royalty (Item 6)
5% + 2% ad
Item 19 median rev
$1.5M franchised units
System size (Item 20)
252 +49
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
14+ yrs
Training (Item 11)
14 days
Company-owned units
82
Model Chicken Salad Chick's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
✓Exclusive territory•Owner-operator required✓No bankruptcy disclosed
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 5% + ad fund 2% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$1,500,000
$100k$2.8M
Royalty (5%)
—
Ad fund (2%)
—
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.
326
Total units open
49 franchised + 5 company-owned = 54
Units opened last year
3
Units closed last year
3 franchised ceased operations + 0 terminations + 0 non-renewals + 0 reacquired
54 − 3 = 51
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
3
Questions to ask
How Chicken Salad Chick ranks against 749 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
82nd pct · of 749 peers
Franchise fee
82nd pct · of 749 peers
System size
85th pct · of 749 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$589K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$37K
Avg system size
261
Franchises analyzed
749
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Salad Chick | Disclosed | $50K | $777K - $1.0M | 5% | 252 |
| Baja FreshSimilar price | Disclosed | $20K | $429K - $1.0M | 5% | 67 |
| 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 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
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.
Brand Analysis
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.
Brand Analysis
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.
Chicken Salad Chick requires a $50,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $777,000–$1,033,500, per the most recent FDD on file.
Chicken Salad Chick is franchised by Simply Southern Restaurant Group, 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.
Yes. Chicken Salad Chick discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $1,500,394. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 5% of Gross Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 2% of Gross Sales on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Chicken Salad Chick has 252 total locations, with 49 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
Yes. Chicken Salad Chick's most recent FDD documents approximately 14 days of initial training, typically split between classroom and on-site components. See Item 11 of the FDD for the full training and support schedule.
Yes. Chicken Salad Chick grants franchisees an exclusive territory under Item 12 of the FDD. Note that exclusive territories often carve out online sales, alternative distribution channels, and non-traditional venues — review the full Item 12 language before signing.
Per the FDD, Chicken Salad Chick discloses an initial agreement term of 10 years. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
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