Surfin' ChickenFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Surfin' Chicken franchise requires a total initial investment of $58K – $522K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $58K – $522K
- 4th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 13th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 5
- 22nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-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
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $58K – $522K including a $30K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 64/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Surf'n'Fries USA, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Carrie Sams
- CEO experience
- 13 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 5550 Granite Parkway, Suite 195, Plano, Texas 75024
- Auditor
- Ram Sriram CPA, LLC
- Audited financials
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2022
- Status as of 2022; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
Franchisees operate casual quick-service restaurant locations serving chicken-focused menu items (likely seafood/coastal themed based on brand). Day-to-day operations include food preparation, staff management, inventory control, customer service, and marketing within their local market.
- CEO
- Carrie Sams
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 2
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $45K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $8K | $447K |
| Total initial investment | $58K | $522K |
Source: Surfin' Chicken 2022 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
- $58K – $522K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $45K
- Near category 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 |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Training fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Surfin' Chicken Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 5
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 10
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 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
Surfin' Chicken presents caution-level risk due to micro-scale operations (5 units), absent financial disclosure, unprotected territories, and unclear growth trajectory—typical of early-stage concepts with unproven unit economics.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ram Sriram CPA, LLC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- 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 64 / 100 rating
- 01MEDOnly 5 units system-wide indicates extremely limited scale and unproven model replicability
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosure (missing Item 19) prevents ROI assessment and suggests weak performance data
- 03MINORZero territory protection creates direct competition risk from other franchisees and company-owned locations
- 04MINORWide investment range ($57.6K–$522.3K) suggests inconsistent unit economics or poorly defined requirements
- 05MED5–8% royalty range is high-end for QSR without disclosed profitability benchmarks to justify it
- 06MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory over franchise term raises sustainability questions for such a small system
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius or Population |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| 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 | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 14 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 26 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- iPad/laptop
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: iPad/laptop
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Surfin' Chicken · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Surfin' Chicken franchise?
The total investment to open a Surfin' Chicken franchise ranges from $58K – $522K, 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 Surfin' Chicken franchise owners earn?
Surfin' 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 Surfin' Chicken's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Surfin' 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 Surfin' Chicken franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Surfin' Chicken has 5 total units in the United States, including 5 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Surfin' Chicken a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Surfin' Chicken as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 64 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.