Is Hickory River Smokehouse or Chaiiwala cheaper to open?

Hickory River Smokehouse costs $315,000–$674,500 and Chaiiwala costs $286,500–$697,400 to open (FDD Item 7). Chaiiwala has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Hickory River Smokehouse or Chaiiwala?

FranchiseVerdict grades Hickory River Smokehouse B and Chaiiwala D, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Hickory River Smokehouse vs Chaiiwala

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Hickory River Smokehouse and Chaiiwala are full-service restaurants franchises. Hickory River Smokehouse requires an investment of $315K – $675K while Chaiiwala requires $287K – $697K. Hickory River Smokehouse discloses average revenue of $1.8M; Chaiiwala makes no financial performance representation in its Item 19, which is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule. FranchiseVerdict rates Hickory River Smokehouse B (Above average) and Chaiiwala D (Below average).

Metric	Hickory River Smokehouse	Chaiiwala
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	DBelow average
Investment Range	$315K – $675K	$287K – $697K
Franchise Fee	$30K	$40K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	7.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.8M	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	Limited data	N/A
Total Units	5	0
Unit Growth (YoY)	+0 units	+0 units
Year Began Franchising	2003	2025
FDD Year	2026	2025