Church's Chicken Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data
64/100
Second tier
64 this brand51 Quick-Service Restaurants medianlikely 60–68 (high confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#872 of 3,068 graded brands
Why a B: Helped by scale and transparency. Held back by unit growth. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $1.2M – $1.9M
- excl. real estate
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- 514 outlets reporting; not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 5.6%
1 in 18 SBA 7(a) loans to Church's Chicken owners charged off (1 of 18 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); Quick-Service Restaurants median 17.6%. Loans approved FY2014–FY2018: 0 of 14 resolved loans charged off (0.0%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend.
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD
Per the 2026 FDD, a Church's Chicken franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.2M – $1.9M, excluding real estate, including a $20K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 5.0%. Per the 2026 FDD, average gross sales were $1.3M (514 outlets reporting; gross sales, not profit). SBA 7(a) loans show a 5.6% charge-off rate on 18 resolved loans. Verdict grade: B (Second tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2026 FDD · SBA 7(a) loan records (FOIA) · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)
Evidence for the headline figures: 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 scored7 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Quick-Service Restaurants median
Top edge: green = better than the Quick-Service Restaurants median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSAverage gross sales of $1.3M/year (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; 514 outlets reporting; gross sales, not profit), with an estimated 8% cash-on-cash return (based on Restaurant Operating Profit (EBITDAR)).
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 8 (21 opened, 13 closed).
- FLAGItem 4 discloses a bankruptcy of an officer or of a company an officer ran, not of the franchisor. Review Item 4 for details.
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $200K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $309K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $1.2M loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (4)
- -22 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (Item 20, outlet counts). Ask owners why outlets closed.
- 3 pending matters name the franchisor in Item 3 (litigation). Pending claims are allegations, not findings.
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
- Item 15 (owner participation) requires the owner, or a principal the franchisor approves, to run the business day to day. Ask how much of the business that principal must own.
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, SBA charge-off rate 5.6%, below the 17.6% category median, no supplier rebates to the franchisor and the full filing on file, and an Item 19 average from 514 units. Not on file here, so ask: jury-trial waiver.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match, or the lenders already lending to this brand in the SBA section. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 3.2× the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($487K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Cajun Global LLC (Item 1: 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 1100, Atlanta, Georgia 30328-6161) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Fee | $10K | $10K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee | $20K | $20K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Funds3 Type of | $15.5K | $25K | |
| Site Work | $220K | $400K | |
| Building and Improvements | $470K | $850K | |
| Equipment and Signs | $352.8K | $375K | |
| Fees, Misc., Architectural and Engineering Services, Deposits | $75K | $125K | |
| Initial Training | $10K | $23K | |
| Opening Supplies | $6.35K | $12.7K | |
| Insurance | $7.5K | $10K | |
| Utility Deposits | $5K | $15K | |
| Business Licenses | $300 | $600 | |
| Additional Funds Months | $10K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.2M | $1.9M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
Payback period12.0 yrs · from FDD / Item 19
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fundBrand-wide marketing pool. 5% of Gross Sales weekly (up to 1% may go to a Regional Co-Op if formed) with a minimum contribution of $25,000/year | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Technology feeDigital and Technology Fee: currently $205 per 4-week period ($2,665 annually) plus 5% of first-party digital sales | $2,665/year |
| Training feeAdditional training charge listed in Item 6 | $1,250 |
| Transfer fee | $10,000 |
| Total fee loadabove the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.0% (heavy) | 10.0% of sales |
What do units actually make?
Average gross sales are 34% above the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($950K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Church's Chicken unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
Average gross sales are $1.3M (FDD p.56), and the royalty and ad fund take about $127K of that a year (Item 6). This brand's Item 19 prints cost or operating-income lines that are not on this page yet. Read them in Item 19 and enter them here. So this box does not estimate a profit. To cover the loan payment alone, one unit has to clear $200K a year after its food, labor, rent and other costs and the franchisor's fees.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $1.5M Item 7 midpoint is a $1.2M loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $200K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours. Church's Chicken's past SBA 7(a) loans averaged 6.4% at approval; 7(a) rates move with the prime rate, so 10.5% is a current-rate assumption, not this brand's history.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $309K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $1.5M Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $1.2M.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
FDD-reported earnings
The FDD reports $235K as Restaurant Operating Profit (EBITDAR). This is a disclosed figure, not our estimate: we publish no modelled profit for Church's Chicken.
One unit
One unit: what is left after the loan payment
Gross sales, minus the franchisor's fees and the operating costs, is the unit's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Minus an assumed loan payment, that is what is left for you, before tax. Gross sales are not profit.
This brand's Item 19 prints cost or operating-income lines that are not on this page yet. Read them in Item 19 and enter them here. Invested capital is the Item 7 total, which already includes its working-capital (additional funds) line.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Church's Chicken unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Item 19 reports $1,270,320 per unit. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
The filing also sets a minimum or cap on these fees: “5% of Gross Sales weekly (up to 1% may go to a Regional Co-Op if formed) with a minimum contribution of $25,000/year” (Item 6). This model applies the percentages, so at low sales the real fee can be higher than shown here.
Item 6, as stored, a year. A fixed fee, so it comes off EBITDA as dollars, not a share of sales.
This brand's Item 19 prints cost or operating-income lines that are not on this page yet. Read them in Item 19 and enter them here.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $1.2M to $1.9M
Item 7's $10K to $20K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $1.2M at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
Buying several existing units? The acquisition scenario
Buying several units
What buying a few existing units could return
Prices an existing operator of a few units off the single-unit EBITDA above, after shared services, and finances it with an SBA 7(a) loan, a conventional loan and a seller note. It shows the yearly return on your cash (IRR), whether year-1 earnings cover the loan payments (DSCR) and how the price is paid for. It starts at 5 units; every deal term is an assumption you can change, and none is from the FDD.
Not modelled yet
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
This scenario starts from a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in the one-unit model above and it runs on that figure, or take it to the full ROI workbench, where the multi-unit and acquisition models accept your own per-unit economics.
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: 2026 FDD · filed by Cajun Global LLC
Financial performance
- Avg restaurant operating profit (ebitdar)
- $235K
- The filing's own Restaurant Operating Profit (EBITDAR) line (Item 19), as it defines it; not comparable with other brands' figures
- Cash-on-cash
- 8.4%
- Based on Restaurant Operating Profit (EBITDAR) / investment midpoint
- Range (low → high)
- $967K→$1.5MSource: 2026 FDD, page 56
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
Percentile ranks within Quick-Service Restaurants
Each rank is among the Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report that figure (the count is under each bar).
Average gross sales are only 0.8x the investment midpoint, so recouping the initial outlay is likely to take years even at strong margins. Gross sales are not profit.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Church's Chicken compares
Category median of published Quick-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.
Who are you contracting with?
Cajun Global LLC, owned by Cajun Holdco LLC.
Same franchisor, other program: Church’s Texas Chicken. Each is a separate offering with its own page.
Item 21 (audited financials) · audited statements · 2026 FDD
The franchisor's own finances
The franchisor related companies owe it $1.3M, 0% of its assets. A franchisor that keeps little of its own profit has less of a cushion if the system has a bad year; ask how support and the ad fund are funded.
The figures, with their pages
- Net income
- $24.0Mlatest year · FDD Item 21
- Owed by related companies
- $1.3M0% of total assets (our arithmetic) · FDD p.238
- Total assets
- $479.0MFDD Item 21
- Equity
- -$33.8MFDD Item 21
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Cajun Global LLC
- Parent company
- Cajun Holdco LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- High Bluff Capital Partners LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- Cajun Operating Company
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Director
- Roland Gonzalez
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 1100, Atlanta, Georgia 30328-6161
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $261.9M
- latest fiscal year in the 2026 FDD; $254.9M the year before
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 9
2 other brands on this site name High Bluff Capital Partners LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- Church’s Texas Chicken (grade B)
- Taco Del Mar (grade D)
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2026 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
Quick-service restaurants offering fried chicken (original and spicy), chicken sandwiches, sides, and Honey Butter Biscuits under the Church's/Church's Chicken/Church's Texas Chicken trade names.
- CEO
- Roland Gonzalez
- Company founded
- 1952
Is the system healthy?
-22 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (744 to 722, -3.0% in total, -1.5% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 163
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 82%
- vs corporate-owned
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units fell from 744 in 2023 to 722 in 2025
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Government records
SBA loan data
Lenders charged off 5.6% of 18 resolved SBA 7(a) loans, below the 17.6% category median. 7(a) is the SBA's main small-business loan; a resolved loan was paid in full or charged off.
- Loans on file
- 31
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $23.9M
- Average loan
- $770K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- 5.6%
- 1 of 18 resolved loans
- Paid in full
- 94.4%
- of resolved loans
- Charge-off, loans approved FY2014–FY2018
- 0.0%
- 0 of 14 resolved loans; newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend
- Lenders
- 19
- Average interest rate
- 6.4%
- Jobs reported
- 1,017
- Lender concentration
- 13%
- top lender's share
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Benchmark: the median Quick-Service Restaurants brand charges off 17.6% (175 brands with a published rate, same cumulative window and source). This brand is 12.1 points below it.
Borrower mix: of 18 loans with a business-age entry, 15 recorded an age: 5 (33%) went to startups or businesses under two years old and 10 (67%) to established businesses or ownership changes; 3 were marked unanswered.
The approval-year breakdown covers 14 of the 18 resolved loans and 0 of the 1 charge-offs (FY2014 to FY2018).
SBA 7(a) · charge-off rate by approval year
Church's Chicken charge-off rate by loan approval year
None of these 4 approval years has 10 or more resolved loans, too few to draw a trend. Each year’s numbers are in the table below.
Show the numbers by year
| Year | Resolved | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | Too few |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | Too few |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | Too few |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | Too few |
Source and method
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Full SBA lending reportlenders · charge-off rate · trend
Lender network · SBA 7(a)
SBA Lending Report
Lender, state and yearly detail for Church's Chicken from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records.
- Average SBA guarantee
- 75%
- Average interest rate
- 6.4%
- Lender concentration
- 13%
- Jobs reported
- 1,017
Top 10 SBA lenders by loan count
| Loans | Volume | Charge-off |
|---|---|---|
| UMB Bank, National Association | ||
| 4 | $2.2M | Not on file |
| Wallis Bank | ||
| 3 | $3.6M | Not on file |
| Byline Bank | ||
| 3 | $2.3M | Not on file |
| First Utah Bank | ||
| 2 | $1.8M | Not on file |
| Signature Bank of Georgia | ||
| 2 | $1.5M | Not on file |
A lender’s rate counts only its resolved loans, the loans that have finished (paid in full or charged off); a 0.0% often means few of its loans have finished. Under 10 resolved loans, the rate reads “Too few”.
Charge-off rate by state (top 10 by loans)
| State | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| GA Georgia | 6 | 0 | Too few5 resolved |
| TX Texas | 5 | 0 | Too few3 resolved |
| CA California | 3 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
| MO Missouri | 3 | 0 | Too few3 resolved |
| FL Florida | 2 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
| NM New Mexico | 2 | 0 | Too few2 resolved |
| NV Nevada | 2 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| WA Washington | 2 | 1 | Too few2 resolved |
| DC Washington DC | 1 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
| KS Kansas | 1 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
Rate: charged-off loans over resolved loans (paid in full plus charged off), shown from 10 resolved loans. "Too few": under 10 resolved. The Loans column counts every approval in the window, including loans still being repaid.
SBA 7(a) loans approved per year
Borrower profile
The SBA's own business-age labels (6)
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level data, matched to the brand by FranchiseVerdict.
What are the risks?
Main risk: a shrinking system. Franchised outlets fell from 744 to 722 over the two years to 2025.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade B: Second tier, 64/100 (category median 51); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a B, factor by factor
- Financial health NeutralAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive; negative net worth
- Unit economics NeutralAvg gross sales $1.3M on a $1.5M investment midpoint, 0.8x (gross sales, not profit); an Item 19 earnings figure of $235K also counts
- Unit growth Weighs on it, weakest dimension-22 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (744 to 722, -3.0% in total, -1.5% a year compounded); turnover 1.5%
- Scale Helps722 franchised units, +163 company-owned (885 in all); franchising since 1964
- Legal Neutral5 matters naming the franchisor among the Item 3 matters we list (0.6 per 100 outlets); a bankruptcy disclosed in Item 4 (an officer's)
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 discloses financial performance; audited financials
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
2 concluded franchise cases (Georgia/Mississippi 2018 termination dispute settled 2018-2019; California third-party tortious interference claim dismissed 2025) and 3 pending cases, all stemming from the 2022 termination of Royal Texas, LLC's 52-restaurant Houston franchise (breach of contract counterclaims, tortious interference claims by Royal Texas affiliates).
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Subject: an officer. An officer’s own bankruptcy or a company an officer ran, not the franchisor’s
Affiliate bankruptcies disclosed: (1) QCE Finance LLC/QFA Royalties and related Quiznos entities, prepackaged Chapter 11 in 2014, emerged same year, closed 2015, pre-dating Quiznos brand acquisition by HBCP; (2) Hooters of America LLC and affiliates filed Chapter 11 in March 2025, plan approved and effective October 2025 (one Cajun officer, Alisa Cleek, was a Hooters officer within 1 year of filing); (3) ARC Burger, LLC (Hardee's affiliate) filed Chapter 7 petition April 2026, ongoing. None involve the franchisor entity (Cajun Global LLC) itself.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ernst & Young LLP
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Franchisor takes supplier rebates: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Litigation case detail5 matters · Item 3
Litigation cases
The franchisor and its predecessor
Pending (3)
Store Master Funding XXIX, LLC v. Triangle Capital Properties, LLC and Royal Texas, LLC (third-party complaint against Cajun Operating Company and Cajun Houston Holdings, LLC)
pendingCajun Operating Company (Item 1: our immediate predecessor and indirect parent) · filed 2024-07-31 · United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Houston Division · 4:23-cv-01194
“Store Master Funding XXIX, LLC v. Triangle Capital Properties, LLC and Royal Texas, LLC, Case No. 4:23-cv-01194 (United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Houston Division) On July 31, 2024, Triangle filed a third-party complaint against our”Page 15 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Cajun Global, LLC, Cajun Operating Company, Cajun Realty, LLC, and Cajun Funding Corp. v. Royal Texas, LLC
pendingBrought against a franchisee · filed 2022-03-23 · Harris County, Texas District Court (removed to Texas federal court) · 2022-17350
“… Case No. 2022-17350 (Harris County, Texas District Court) (the “Texas State Action”).”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Royal Texas, LLC v. Cajun Global, LLC, Cajun Operating, LLC and High Bluff Capital Partners, LLC
pendingBrought by a franchisee · filed 2022-03-31 · Fulton County, Georgia Superior Court · 2022CV362893
“… ¸ Case No. 2022CV362893 (Fulton County, Georgia Superior Court) (the “Georgia Action”).”Page 15 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Concluded (2)
Pacific Premier Bank vs. Royal Investment Holdings, LLC (third-party complaint against Cajun)
settledBrought by a third party · filed 2024-10-25 · Los Angeles County, California Superior Court · 23LBCV01292
“Pacific Premier Bank vs. Royal Investment Holdings, LLC, Case No. 23LBCV01292 (Los Angeles County, California Superior Court) (“California Action”).”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Cajun Global LLC, d/b/a Church’s Chicken, et al. v. Thomas & Irons, LLC, et al. (with Thomas & Irons, LLC, et al. v. Cajun Global, LLC, et al.)
settledBrought against a franchisee · filed 2018-02-02 · N.D. Ga. (1:18-cv-00538-RWS); Chancery Court of Hinds County, Mississippi, removed to S.D. Miss. (3:18-cv-1070-DPJ-FKB) · 1:18- cv-00538-RWS
“Cajun Global LLC, d/b/a Church’s Chicken, et al. v. Thomas & Irons, LLC, et al., Case No. 1:18- cv-00538-RWS (United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division) (the “Georgia Lawsuit”).”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 1 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | The owner, or a principal the franchisor approves, must run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Georgia |
Items 5 (initial fees), 7 (startup costs), 12 (territory) and 20 (outlet counts) · development agreement
Area development (several units)
A development fee of $10,000 per unit you commit to. If you miss the schedule, the development agreement can be ended.
Every term, with its page
- Development fee
- $10,000 per unit committed.
2026 FDD p.1
“If you plan to develop multiple Church’s Restaurants, you will pay a Development Fee of $10,000 multiplied by the number of Restaurants that you plan to develop.” - If you miss the schedule
- The development agreement can be ended.
2026 FDD p.44
“or (2) developing and operating, or licensing others to develop and operate, any type of restaurant other than a restaurant identified in whole or in part by the names and marks “Church’s”, “Church’s Chicken” and “Church’s Texas Chicken” at any location within or outside of the Development Area during and after the Development Term If you fail to comply with your Development Schedule, we may termi”
Each unit still needs its own Item 7 investment on top of the development fee ($10K times the units you commit to). Have a franchise attorney read the schedule and the default terms before you sign.
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 135 hrs
- Training location
- Certified Training Restaurant (CTR)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3–12 mo
- From signing to launch (FDD p.35)
- Site selection
- franchisee proposes, franchisor accepts within 60 days
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- POS System (approved vendor, includes back-office software and credit card processing)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Franchisee contacts
We hold no owner list for this brand. Item 20 of the FDD lists the current and former owners; the free FDD is the source.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Church's Chicken franchise?
Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a Church's Chicken franchise ranges from $1.2M to $1.9M, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. The filing says these totals do not include real estate.
What do Church's Chicken franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Church's Chicken FDD, average gross sales were $1.3M (514 outlets reporting; gross sales, not profit). What an owner keeps depends on location, operating costs and management.
Who owns Church's Chicken?
Church's Chicken is franchised by Cajun Global LLC. Its parent company is Cajun Holdco LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is High Bluff Capital Partners LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Church's 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 Church's Chicken FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Church's Chicken's franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate. What is measurable is Church's Chicken's SBA charge-off rate: 5.6% on 18 resolved loans. Put plainly: 1 in 18 SBA 7(a) loans to Church's Chicken owners charged off (1 of 18 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); loans approved FY2014–FY2018: 0 of 14 resolved loans charged off (0.0%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. A franchisee can repay and close, or default and keep trading.
How many Church's Chicken franchise locations are there?
Per the 2026 FDD, Church's Chicken has 722 franchised units and 163 company-owned (885 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 8 (21 opened, 13 closed).
Is Church's Chicken a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Church's Chicken a B Verdict grade (Second tier) with a verdict score of 64 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by scale (722 franchised units, +163 company-owned: 885 in all) and transparency. Held back by unit growth (-22 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025: 744 to 722, -3.0% in total, -1.5% a year compounded). The “Why a B” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
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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.