The Original Hot Chicken Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $215K – $698K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Original Hot Chicken is a quick-service franchise serving Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches and tenders. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Original Hot Chicken franchise requires a total initial investment of $215K – $698K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $215K – $698K
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned onlyPartial period1 outlet
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 3rd 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 median · 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 $215K – $698K including a $25K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 presents only historical data from the 2 Company-owned Restaurants (Woodstock: 47 weeks in operation; Sandy Springs: 18 weeks), isolating "The Original Hot Chicken" brand Gross Sales from other Digital Brand revenue. No franchised outlets are in operation, so no franchisee data is presented. Woodstock TOHC-only weekly average during weeks 1-19 (TOHC only period) was $27,091.88 (median $29,016.55, high $41,693.55, low $3,962.50, 12 of 19 weeks above average). During weeks 20-47 (multi-brand period, TOHC portion only), Woodstock's weekly TOHC average was $17,736.15. Sandy Springs (weeks 1-18, multi-brand from opening) had a weekly TOHC average of $5,970.10. Total TOHC Gross Sales since opening: Woodstock $1,011,358 (47 weeks), Sandy Springs $107,462 (18 weeks).
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 33/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative, pipeline stalled: 1 agreements signed but not yet open against 1 open outlets (Item 20).
- FLAGItem 4 discloses a bankruptcy of an officer or of a company an officer ran, not of the franchisor. Review Item 4 for details.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- TOHC Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- TOHC Strategic Company LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2023 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Dandle Ventures LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2023 FDD
- CEO title
- Executive Chairman
- Aziz Hashim
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 2859 Paces Ferry Road, Suite 412, Atlanta, Georgia 30339
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Aziz Hashim
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about typical for a quick-service restaurants franchise (near the category median).
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $180K | $623K |
| Total initial investment | $215K | $698K |
Source: The Original Hot Chicken 2023 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
- $215K – $698K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- 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 | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for The Original Hot Chicken is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Original Hot Chicken unit return on the cash you put in?
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.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 presents only historical data from the 2 Company-owned Restaurants (Woodstock: 47 weeks in operation; Sandy Springs: 18 weeks), isolating "The Original Hot Chicken" brand Gross Sales from other Digital Brand revenue. No franchised outlets are in operation, so no franchisee data is presented. Woodstock TOHC-only weekly average during weeks 1-19 (TOHC only period) was $27,091.88 (median $29,016.55, high $41,693.55, low $3,962.50, 12 of 19 weeks above average). During weeks 20-47 (multi-brand period, TOHC portion only), Woodstock's weekly TOHC average was $17,736.15. Sandy Springs (weeks 1-18, multi-brand from opening) had a weekly TOHC average of $5,970.10. Total TOHC Gross Sales since opening: Woodstock $1,011,358 (47 weeks), Sandy Springs $107,462 (18 weeks).
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 median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Actual sales of company-owned outlets rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Multi-unit rate
Only 4% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 medians
How The Original Hot 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.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 3.8%
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 1
- 1.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 9
- 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)
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
1 current owner across 1 state.
- GA 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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
Bankruptcy disclosures relate to an officer's prior roles (Ruby Tuesday 2020, Buyk 2022) at other companies, not this franchisor — low weight. Brand itself is pre-launch (began 2023, 1 company unit, 0 franchised). Item 19 disclosed and audited; limited history is the main concern.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation information disclosed in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Subject: an officer. An officer’s own bankruptcy or a company an officer ran, not the franchisor’s
Two bankruptcy filings disclosed: (1) Ruby Tuesday, Inc. et al. - Chapter 11 filed October 7, 2020 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware (Case Nos. 1:20-BK-12456 to 124507); reorganization plan effective February 24, 2021; case closed December 10, 2021. Principal addresses: 333 East Broadway Avenue, Maryville, TN 37804 and 4170 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Suite #390, Atlanta, GA 30319. (2) Buyk Corp - Chapter 11 filed March 17, 2022 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York (Case No. 22-10328); converted to Chapter 7 on October 31, 2022; claims period ended March 27, 2023; case not yet discharged. Principal address: 360 West 31st Street, Floor 6, New York, NY 10001.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 33 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORBankruptcies are officer's prior affiliations, not franchisor
- 02MINORVery early: 1 unit, 0 franchised
- 03MEDItem 19 disclosed, audited
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 2023 · 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 territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 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 | 15 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 17 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 10 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 38 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee proposes site within designated site selection area; franchisor must approve site before lease is signed
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Original Hot Chicken franchise?
The total investment to open a The Original Hot Chicken franchise ranges from $215K – $698K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Original Hot Chicken franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the The Original Hot Chicken FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns The Original Hot Chicken?
The Original Hot Chicken is franchised by TOHC Franchising LLC. Its parent company is TOHC Strategic Company LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Dandle Ventures LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2023 filing.
What is Item 19 in the The Original 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 The Original Hot Chicken FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is The Original Hot Chicken's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Original 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 The Original Hot Chicken franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Original Hot Chicken has 1 total units in the United States.
Is The Original Hot Chicken a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Original Hot Chicken as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 33 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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?
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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.