Haven Hot Chicken Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Haven Hot Chicken is a quick-service franchise serving Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches, tenders, and plant-based options. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Haven Hot Chicken franchise requires a total initial investment of $407K – $868K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $407K – $868K
- 66th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 9
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants avg · 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 $407K – $868K including a $40K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNewly formed franchisor (Haven Hot Chicken Franchising, LLC, established February 5, 2025); Item 21 includes only an audited balance sheet as of April 10, 2025 with no income statement, so no franchisor revenue/net income is reported. Balance sheet shows $25,000 cash (total assets), no liabilities, $25,000 shareholders' equity.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports company owned outlets rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Haven Hot Chicken Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- Haven Hot Chicken Holding Corporation
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Jason Sobocinski; Etkin Tekin
- Incorporated in
- CT
- HQ
- 1957 Whitney Avenue, Suite 2, North Haven, Connecticut 06473
- Auditor
- Roos & McNabb CPA's, A Professional Corporation
- Audited financials
Affiliated brands
- Haven Hot Chicken
- is the owner of the Licensed Marks
- maintains a pr
- Haven Hot Chicken IP
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jason Sobocinski; Etkin Tekin
- Headquarters
- CT
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about average for a quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $12K | $48K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $355K | $780K |
| Total initial investment | $407K | $868K |
Source: Haven Hot Chicken 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $407K – $868K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $12K – $48K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $16K – $26K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Haven Hot Chicken did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Haven Hot Chicken unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
18%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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
Newly formed franchisor (Haven Hot Chicken Franchising, LLC, established February 5, 2025); Item 21 includes only an audited balance sheet as of April 10, 2025 with no income statement, so no franchisor revenue/net income is reported. Balance sheet shows $25,000 cash (total assets), no liabilities, $25,000 shareholders' equity.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Item 19 type
- company owned outlets
- Sample size
- 3
- vs category median 20 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.6M→$2.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
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 8.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports company owned outlets rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Haven Hot Chicken Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 9
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Haven Hot Chicken presents moderate-to-high risk: a tiny, financially distressed franchisor with unproven unit growth, high capital requirements, and no independent financial validation.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Largest disclosed settlement: $40,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Roos & McNabb CPA's, A Professional Corporation
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 43 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status indicates potential financial distress at franchisor level despite positive unit economics
- 02MEDOnly 9 units system-wide suggests minimal scale, limited support infrastructure, and unproven replicability
- 03MEDNo disclosed litigation combined with Going Concern raises questions about financial transparency and potential undisclosed disputes
- 04MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory makes it impossible to assess system momentum or validate franchisee success sustainability
- 05MINORHigh initial investment ($407k–$868k) relative to small system size creates concentration risk if franchisor fails
- 06MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representation limits ability to validate claimed $408k average net income independently
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | New Haven County, Connecticut |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | CT |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 48 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 146 hrs
- Training location
- New Haven, Connecticut and franchisee's Restaurant Location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 7 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor must approve
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Haven Hot Chicken franchise?
The total investment to open a Haven Hot Chicken franchise ranges from $407K – $868K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Haven Hot Chicken franchise owners earn?
Haven Hot Chicken does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Haven Hot 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 Haven Hot Chicken FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Haven Hot Chicken's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Haven Hot Chicken (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Haven Hot Chicken franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Haven Hot Chicken has 9 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 9 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Haven Hot Chicken a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Haven Hot Chicken as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. 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 Haven Hot Chicken, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.