Slim ChickensFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Slim Chickens franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.2M – $4.5M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.4M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.2M – $4.5M
- 45th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.4M
- 23rd pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 207
- 45th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 196 to 138 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.2M – $4.5M including a $30K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.4M/year (median $2.3M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 18/100.
- System growing at 42.0% CAGR over 3 years with 207 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Slim Chicken’s Development Company, LLC
- Parent company
- Slim Chickens Global, LLC
- Predecessor
- and Affiliates
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Thomas D. Gordon
- CEO experience
- 2011 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 234 E. Millsap Road, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703
- Auditor
- Frost, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $23.0M
- vs $29.5M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchisee Advisory Board
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- Slim Chickens Restaurants
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate fast-casual chicken-focused quick-service restaurants serving made-to-order chicken sandwiches, tenders, and sides with a focus on quality ingredients and fresh preparation. Day-to-day operations include inventory management, food preparation oversight, staff scheduling, customer service, and marketing within a protected territory to drive foot traffic and delivery orders.
- CEO
- Thomas D. Gordon
- Headquarters
- AR
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 35
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $30K | |
| Real Property / Site Lease / Site Review Fees | $45K | $1.2M | |
| Construction / Building Conversion | $400K | $1.7M | |
| Site Work | $50K | $600K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $295K | $345K | |
| Smallwares | $21K | $27K | |
| Building Signage and Interior Graphics | $45K | $75K | |
| Soft Costs | $90K | $120K | |
| Insurance | $9K | $15K | |
| Opening Inventory | $6K | $10K | |
| Training Costs / Opening Assistance Reimbursement | $60K | $80K | |
| POS System / Drive-Thru / Kiosks / Components / Menu Boards | $85K | $125K | |
| Low Voltage / Security / Network Installation | $40K | $50K | |
| Security and Utility Deposits | $3K | $12K | |
| Business Licenses (excluding beer and wine license) | $400 | $2K | |
| Grand Opening Ad Expenditure | $10K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $40K | $65K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.2M | $4.5M |
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.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$268K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
9%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
10.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.2M – $4.5M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $40K – $65K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $50 |
| Inventory (initial) | $6K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.3M
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 147 units
- vs category median 13 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $638K→$5.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $1.4M→$3.7M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.9x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Slim Chickens Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 207
- Opened
- 28
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 4
- Turnover rate
- 1.9%
- Company-owned
- 11
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 95%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 42.9%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +14.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +42.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 7
- Transfer rate
- 3.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 0.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 0.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 36 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
- California
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Virginia
- Washington
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 8 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 8
- Loan volume
- $8.5M
- Median loan
- $250K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Slim Chickens's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Slim Chickens presents meaningful litigation and disclosure risks with active fraud allegations, regulatory history, and absence of Item 19 financials that prevent independent validation of unit profitability against the stated $2.44M average revenue.
Litigation (Item 3)
R Solution Holdings, LLC et al. vs. Slim Chickens Development Company, LLC (pending fraud, constructive fraud, and breach of contract case filed June 4, 2025 in Arkansas); Consent Order with Washington Securities Division (September 29, 2020) for selling franchises without registration and failure to disclose registration status.
Largest disclosed settlement: $1,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Frost, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 18 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHActive 2025 civil lawsuit by franchisees alleging fraud and breach of contract regarding sales/cost statement accuracy—suggests potential misrepresentation of unit economics
- 02MINOR2020 consent order with Washington State for selling unregistered franchises indicates regulatory compliance failures and prior enforcement action
- 03MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19—prevents validation of the $2.44M average revenue claim and actual profitability at unit level
- 04MEDHigh investment range ($1.23M–$4.47M) with undisclosed net income creates significant ROI uncertainty and payback period risk
- 05MINOR14% YoY unit growth is solid but modest for a growing QSR brand—suggests market saturation concerns or franchisee profitability issues limiting expansion appetite
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius or population based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2.5 mi |
| Territory population | 45,000 |
| 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 | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Arkansas |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
R Solution Holdings, LLC et al. vs. Slim Chickens Development Company, LLC (pending fraud, constructive fraud, and breach of contract case filed June 4, 2025 in Arkansas); Consent Order with Washington Securities Division (September 29, 2020) for selling franchises without registration and failure to disclose registration status.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 27 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 306 hrs
- Training location
- at your Restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 112 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Brink Restaurant POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Brink Restaurant POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
205 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Slim Chickens · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Slim Chickens franchise?
The total investment to open a Slim Chickens franchise ranges from $1.2M – $4.5M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Slim Chickens franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Slim Chickens FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.4M. The median is $2.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Slim Chickens's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Slim Chickens (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 Slim Chickens franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Slim Chickens has 207 total units in the United States, including 196 franchised units and 11 company-owned units. 28 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Slim Chickens a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Slim Chickens as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 18 out of 100, 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.
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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.