Is Salata or Cowboy Chicken cheaper to open?

Salata costs $776,000–$1,163,000 and Cowboy Chicken costs $581,796–$1,421,995 to open (FDD Item 7). Cowboy Chicken has the lower entry cost.

Which earns more, Salata or Cowboy Chicken?

Salata reports $1,328,289 average annual unit revenue vs $1,835,810 for Cowboy Chicken (FDD Item 19). Cowboy Chicken is higher. For Salata: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; Reported as net sales, not gross sales. For Cowboy Chicken: Includes company-owned outlets.

Which is the better franchise, Salata or Cowboy Chicken?

FranchiseVerdict grades Salata B and Cowboy Chicken A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Salata vs Cowboy Chicken

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Salata and Cowboy Chicken are quick-service restaurants franchises. Salata requires an investment of $776K – $1.2M while Cowboy Chicken requires $582K – $1.4M. In terms of revenue, Cowboy Chicken reports higher average unit revenue at $1.8M. Note: Includes company-owned outlets. FranchiseVerdict rates Salata B (Above average) and Cowboy Chicken A (Strongest tier).

Metric	Salata	Cowboy Chicken
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	AStrongest tier
Investment Range	$776K – $1.2M	$582K – $1.4M
Franchise Fee	$40K	$35K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.3MOutlet subset	$1.8MIncl. company outlets
SBA Charge-Off Rate	Limited data	Limited data
Total Units	90	18
Unit Growth (YoY)	+6 units	+1 units
Year Began Franchising	2006	2010
FDD Year	2023	2024