bb.q Chicken Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $661K – $1.3M
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- on 38 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
bb.q Chicken is a Korean fried chicken franchise serving crispy fried chicken, wings, and Korean dishes. Area representatives develop territories and support franchisees who run the restaurants.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A bb.q Chicken franchise requires a total initial investment of $661K – $1.3M, including a $45K franchise fee. This fee is for a master or area-representative grant rather than a single unit, so it is not comparable with the single-unit fees shown for other brands. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 38 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored2 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $661K – $1.3M
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 208
- 34th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $661K – $1.3M including a $45K franchise fee. This fee is for a master or area-representative grant rather than a single unit, so it is not comparable with the single-unit fees shown for other brands.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 84/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 38 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +46 franchised outlets in the latest year (51 opened, 5 closed); 74 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 66.7% CAGR over 3 years with 208 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- BBDOTQ USA, Inc.
- Parent company
- Genesis BBQ Global Co., Ltd
- FDD Item 1, page 10 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Hyongbong Kim
- Incorporated in
- New Jersey
- HQ
- 2134 North Central Road, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
- Auditor
- SCJ CPA (S. Seo, CPA), Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $74.6M
- vs $78.9M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Hyongbong Kim
- Headquarters
- New Jersey
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 8
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 44% above the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
This fee is for a master or area-representative grant rather than a single unit, so it is not comparable with the single-unit fees shown for other brands.
Full Item 7 breakdown16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $45K | $45K | |
| Lease/Security Deposit, Utility Deposit | $3K | $50K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $450K | $850K | |
| Signage | $5K | $25K | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $30K | $40K | |
| Equipment | $70K | $150K | |
| Point-of-Sale System | $4K | $8K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $500 | $500 | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $5K | |
| Architectural/ Design Fees | $5K | $30K | |
| Insurance – 3 Months | $2K | $3K | |
| Inventory | $8K | $20K | |
| Training Fee & Expenses | $5K | $7K | |
| Opening Material | $3K | $6K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $10K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months | $20K | $40K | |
| Total initial investment | $661K | $1.3M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $661K – $1.3M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Master/area fee
- Royalty
- Royalty Fee is 5% of Gross Sales, payable monthly on the …
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $75 |
| Transfer fee | $100 |
| Renewal fee | $45K |
| Inventory (initial) | $8K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
bb.q Chicken makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one bb.q Chicken unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% (near the Full-Service Restaurants median).
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System expanding at 66.7% CAGR over 3 years across 208 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Full-Service Restaurants medians
How bb.q Chicken Compares
Category median of published Full-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 208
- Opened
- 51
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.4%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +66.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +66.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 1
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 74
- 0.36 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 145
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 14.3%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 57.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
73 current owners across 17 states.
- CA 39
- IL 9
- FL 4
- MD 3
- AL 2
- GA 2
- KS 2
- NY 2
- TX 2
- AR 1
- CO 1
- IN 1
- +5 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 38
- Loan volume
- $12.9M
- Median loan
- $310K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- on 38 loans · rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 17
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 8.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 13.2%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 551
- 4.3 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 13%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 71% went to startups / new businesses, 29% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in full-service restaurants, franchised businesses charge off at 13.2% vs 9.7% for independents — franchising is associated with 36% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing bb.q Chicken franchisees
Showing 3 of 17 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for bb.q Chicken from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 76%
- Avg interest rate
- 8.26%
- Lender concentration
- 13.2%
- Job velocity
- 4.3 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 7.4%
- NAICS 722511
- Jobs supported
- 551
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 13% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shinhan Bank America | 5 | $1.4M | N/A |
| 2 | GBC International Bank | 4 | $1.3M | 0.0% |
| 3 | New Millennium Bank | 4 | $885K | 0.0% |
| 4 | Open Bank | 4 | $905K | N/A |
| 5 | Metro City Bank | 3 | $1.9M | N/A |
| 6 | Bank of Hope | 3 | $1.3M | 0.0% |
| 7 | The Huntington National Bank | 2 | $273K | N/A |
| 8 | Cadence Bank | 2 | $700K | N/A |
| 9 | Hanmi Bank | 2 | $889K | N/A |
| 10 | BankCherokee | 2 | $909K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CACalifornia | 12 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NJNew Jersey | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MNMinnesota | 3 | 0 | -- |
| VAVirginia | 3 | 0 | -- |
| ALAlabama | 2 | 0 | -- |
| FLFlorida | 2 | 0 | -- |
| WAWashington | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| COColorado | 1 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 38 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · SCJ CPA (S. Seo, CPA), Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Franchisor total revenue includes $57,662,252 in product sales (food distribution to franchisees) and $16,933,010 in service/fee revenues for FY2025.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 84 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosures (average unit revenue and net income not provided) — impossible to assess actual ROI or profitability
- 02MINORRapid unit growth (28.9% YoY) may indicate quality control issues, market saturation risk, or unsustainable expansion model
- 03MINOR5% royalty on gross sales (not net) is extracted regardless of profitability — burdensome if margins compress
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 5,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 3 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Within 10 miles of company headquarters (Fort Lee, New Jersey) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 8 hrs
- Training location
- Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 80 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Area Representative helps identify/secure sites; franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
73 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a bb.q Chicken franchise?
The total investment to open a bb.q Chicken franchise ranges from $661K – $1.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). This fee is for a master or area-representative grant rather than a single unit, so it is not comparable with the single-unit fees shown for other brands.
What do bb.q Chicken franchise owners earn?
bb.q Chicken makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns bb.q Chicken?
bb.q Chicken is franchised by BBDOTQ USA, Inc.. Its parent company is Genesis BBQ Global Co., Ltd. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the bb.q Chicken FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the bb.q Chicken FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is bb.q Chicken's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, bb.q Chicken has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 38 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many bb.q Chicken franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, bb.q Chicken has 208 total units in the United States, including 205 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 51 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is bb.q Chicken a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates bb.q Chicken as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 84 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent bb.q Chicken, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Full-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Full-Service Restaurants category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.