Popeyes U.S. comps -5.2% Q2’26Wingstop domestic SSS -7.5% Q2’26KFC U.S. units 3,523 YE’25Dave’s unit growth +52.3% FY’25Chick-fil-A AUV $9.16MCane’s systemwide $5.48B FY’25Franchisee QSR cap 6.85%Corporate QSR cap 5.85%Category growth +5.3% ’25Wings wholesale $0.98/lb YE’25
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For prospective operators

Franchise Opportunities

Every chicken franchisor will show you their best number. This table shows the same four numbers for all of them — average unit volume, unit growth, same-store sales and franchise structure — sourced and dated.

BrandAUVUnit growthCompsFranchise structure
Chick-fil-A$9.16M+6.7%—Single-unit operator model. Operators are selected, pay a $10K franchise fee, do not build…
Raising Cane's$6.3M+10.3%—Overwhelmingly company-operated. New growth is company-owned, including the first internat…
Dave's Hot Chicken$3.0M+52.3%—Heavily franchised through experienced multi-unit operators; 87% of operators are multi-un…
Pollo Campero$2.98M+18.6%—Mixed company and franchise in the U.S.
Zaxby's$2.71M+3.2%—Mixed corporate and franchise; renewed franchise recruiting drive into the Midwest and Nor…
Slim Chickens$2.44M——96% franchised; growth driven by large area-development agreements.
Bojangles$2.35M+4.2%—Roughly two-thirds franchised; aggressive multi-unit development agreements outside the So…
El Pollo Loco$2.3M+1.8%+2.1%Mixed company-operated and franchised; franchise development pushing east from California.
Layne's Chicken Fingers$2.21M+110.0%—Franchised; attracting experienced operators from Wendy's, Arby's and other systems.
Wingstop$2.0M+19.2%-7.5%~98% franchised. Heavy multi-unit development agreements; company operates a small corpora…
Chicken Salad Chick$1.48M+13.0%—Predominantly franchised; record franchise-agreement signing pace.
Golden Chick$1.36M+9.2%—Franchise-led, concentrated in Texas with multi-unit operators driving expansion.
Church's Texas Chicken$1.14M+1.4%—Predominantly franchised, with a corporate base; heavy international master-franchise acti…
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen——-5.2%Almost entirely franchised, with large multi-unit operators. RBI has selectively taken res…
KFC U.S.—-4.0%+2.0%99% franchised globally; U.S. system dominated by large legacy operators such as KBP Brand…
Huey Magoo's———Franchised, with a new lower-cost drive-thru prototype aimed at build-cost reduction.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken—+17.3%—Licensed foodservice programs inside convenience stores rather than standalone restaurants…
Bonchon———Franchised, with growing non-traditional (airport) development.
Houston TX Hot Chicken———Franchised, expanding through multi-unit commitments and an international master agreement…
Hooters———Post-bankruptcy, the plan moves the system to fully franchisee-owned.
Read AUV and comps together. Wingstop grew units 19.2% in fiscal 20251 while domestic same-store sales fell 7.5% in Q2 2026 and AUV slipped from $2.1M to $2.0M2. A brand can be excellent at selling franchises and still be a difficult year for the franchisee who bought one.
Question to ask

What does a new unit actually cost to build?

Huey Magoo's cut drive-thru build costs by roughly 40%3. Build cost against AUV determines whether a franchisee clears a return — it is the number franchisors discuss least.

Question to ask

What is franchisee-level profit?

RBI disclosed average Popeyes franchisee restaurant profit of roughly $235,000 in 20254. Weeks later a 136-unit operator filed Chapter 115.

Question to ask

Who else is developing in my market?

Check the expansion tracker and operator database before signing. Several brands are committing to the same metros simultaneously.

Sources

Every figure on this page is attributed. CSW does not publish estimates as facts — where a number is unavailable it is shown as “—”, and where a figure is derived arithmetically from two published figures it is marked as derived.

  1. [1] Wingstop Inc. — Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results (2026-02-18)
  2. [2] Wingstop Inc. / PR Newswire — Wingstop Inc. Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results (2026-07-29)
  3. [3] Restaurant Dive — Huey Magoo's cuts drive-thru build costs by 40% (2026)
  4. [4] CNBC — Restaurant Brands International (QSR) Q4 2025 earnings (2026-02-12)
  5. [5] Restaurant Business — A big Popeyes franchisee files for bankruptcy (2026-01)