• Investment Required
• Investment Level: $ 125 K
• Training and Support: Yes

Founded by serial entrepreneur Truitt Cathy in the 1960s, Chick Fil-A is known for its innovation in its menu segment and in its choice of locales. The restaurant was the first to sell breaded boneless chicken breast sandwiches on a bun, and was the first to open locations in shopping centers. Indeed, Chick Fil-A didn't open a standalone store until the late 1970s, and started opening up drive through only stores in the 1980s. Since then, the store has expanded steadily, taking measured successes in reaching into new markets.

In large part due to founder Cathy's own serial entrepreneurship, Chick Fil-A has kept franchise fees low, and kept the franchising requirements minimal. Franchises fees are in the $5,000 to $10,000 range, and franchiser (called Operators) have to be free of other business commitments. Franchise requirements are set to keep stores from cannibalizing each other's sales, and the range of opportunities run the gamut of capital investments, from small satellite installations in office buildings and Wal-Marts, to large stand alone restaurants, and even the opportunity to open a Cathy's Grill for higher priced sit down dining. The principal requirement of the Operator is that they have a business plan and are hands-on owners, dedicated to providing customer service, rather than trying to build up a franchise to churn and sell over.

As part of what you get with the licensing fee, Chick Fil-A will send future operators to a 9-week series of courses on how to secure a location, how to hire help, how to run a store in a way that is successful, and how to manage your growth. The chain gets over 10,000 franchise requests per year, and only awards 70 to 80, trying to ensure a good match between Operator and corporate growth objectives. This emphasis on finding the right franchise operator has paid off – the chain has a franchisee turnover rate of fewer than 3% per annum. However, this means that they do turn away perfectly qualified applicants.

It's only after an Operator has proven their mettle that they're giving the opportunity to open more locations in their region. With low barriers to entry, but a competitive application process, Chick Fil-A makes a good choice as a franchise business opportunity.

Please note that we are not actively submitting franchising applications to this franchisor from our website at this current point in time. Please do however feel free to browse our other top franchisor profiles, as a number of these companies are currently accepting new franchising opportunity applications that are well worth taking the time to explore.