Is Chester's Express or Chester's cheaper to open?

Chester's Express costs $27,500–$306,500 and Chester's costs $27,500–$306,500 to open (FDD Item 7). Chester's Express has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Chester's Express or Chester's?

FranchiseVerdict grades Chester's Express A and Chester's B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Chester's Express vs Chester's

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Chester's Express and Chester's are full-service restaurants franchises. Chester's Express requires an investment of $28K – $307K while Chester's requires $28K – $307K. Chester's has SBA lending data on file with a 0.0% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates Chester's Express A (Strongest tier) and Chester's B (Above average).

Metric	Chester's Express	Chester's
Verdict Grade	AStrongest tierStrongest tier	BAbove averageAbove average
Investment Range	$28K – $307K	$28K – $307K
Franchise Fee	$2K	$2K
Royalty Rate	N/A	No ongoing royalty fee disclosed; franchisor derives revenue instead from required purchases of proprietary products/equipment and supplier license fees.
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/A	N/A
SBA Charge-Off Rate	N/A	0.0% (10 loans)
Total Units	0	918
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	2008	2008
FDD Year	2026	2026

Investment Range

$28K – $307K

Franchise Fee

$2K

Royalty Rate

N/A

No ongoing royalty fee disclosed; franchisor derives revenue instead from required purchases of proprietary products/equipment and supplier license fees.

Average Revenue (Item 19)

N/A

SBA Charge-Off Rate

N/A

0.0% (10 loans)

Total Units

918

Unit Growth (YoY)

N/A

Year Began Franchising

2008

FDD Year