Is Hickory River Smokehouse or MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO cheaper to open?

Hickory River Smokehouse costs $315,000–$674,500 and MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO costs $282,790–$697,750 to open (FDD Item 7). MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Hickory River Smokehouse or MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO?

FranchiseVerdict grades Hickory River Smokehouse B and MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO D, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Hickory River Smokehouse vs MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Hickory River Smokehouse and MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO are full-service restaurants franchises. Hickory River Smokehouse requires an investment of $315K – $675K while MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO requires $283K – $698K. Hickory River Smokehouse discloses average revenue of $1.8M; no Item 19 revenue figure is on file for MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO. FranchiseVerdict rates Hickory River Smokehouse B (Above average) and MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO D (Below average).

Metric	Hickory River Smokehouse	MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	DBelow average
Investment Range	$315K – $675K	$283K – $698K
Franchise Fee	$30K	$35K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.8M	N/ACompany-owned only · n=2
SBA Charge-Off Rate	Limited data	N/A
Total Units	5	2
Unit Growth (YoY)	+0 units	+0 units
Year Began Franchising	2003	2024
FDD Year	2026	2025