Starbird ChickenFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Starbird Chicken franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.1M – $1.7M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $4.2M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.1M – $1.7M
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $4.2M
- 27th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 7
- 17th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Each dollar invested generates 3.0x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.1M – $1.7M including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $4.2M/year.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 61/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Starbird Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- Chicken Coup LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 75 Oak Grove Street, San Francisco, California 94107
- Auditor
- Moss Adams LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
Starbird Chicken franchisees operate fast-casual poultry-focused restaurants, managing kitchen operations, food preparation, customer service, and point-of-sale systems. Daily responsibilities include inventory management, staff scheduling, food quality control, and maintaining brand standards across a QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) format, typically targeting lunch and dinner dayparts.
- CEO
- Aaron Noveshen
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 0
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $25K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $1.1M | $1.6M |
| Total initial investment | $1.1M | $1.7M |
Source: Starbird Chicken 2023 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$418K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
29%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.4 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.1M – $1.7M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Net Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $780 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $4.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Average and Median
- Sample size
- 5 units
- vs category median 13 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $4.2M→$4.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Starbird Chicken Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 7
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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.
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Starbird Chicken is an early-stage system with high capital requirements, minimal transparency on financial performance, and an unproven expansion model supported by only 7 operating units.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the bankruptcy code; or (c) was a principal officer in a company, or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Moss Adams LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 61 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 7 units in system with unknown growth trajectory suggests early-stage or stalled expansion
- 02HIGHNo Item 19 financial performance representation (Going Concern = False) limits ability to validate the $575K average net income claim
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($1.1M-$1.7M) relative to small unit count creates survival pressure on franchisees
- 04MEDExtremely limited franchisee base (7 units) makes due diligence and peer validation difficult
- 05MEDMissing critical disclosure: no growth rate data, unit failure history, or franchisee profitability documentation
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 | Area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 200 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Starbird Chicken · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Starbird Chicken franchise?
The total investment to open a Starbird Chicken franchise ranges from $1.1M – $1.7M, 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 Starbird Chicken franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Starbird Chicken FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $4.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Starbird Chicken's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Starbird 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 Starbird Chicken franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Starbird Chicken has 7 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 7 company-owned units.
Is Starbird Chicken a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Starbird Chicken as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 61 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Starbird Chicken, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther 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.