- 2025 Franchise 500 Rank
-
#402 Not ranked last year
- Initial investment
-
$644K - $1.8M
- Units as of 2025
-
1,474 2% over 3 years
Hatching its beginnings back in 1952 by George W. Church Sr., Church's Chicken franchise first started in San Antonio, Texas. Church's Chicken is a chain of fast-food restaurants that serves various chicken dishes like chicken nuggets, chicken tender strips, and french fries, among others.
Church's Chicken is now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The brand started franchising restaurants in 1969 and has more than 1,000 units today. The Church's Chicken restaurants are located in high-traffic commercial ventures like malls, convenience stores, sales plazas, and tertiary institutions.
The Church's Chicken restaurants are drive-in, but also offer delivery and can cater for large events. In some cases, there are sit-in locations available. All of the above options depend on financing, franchisee preferences, and brand availability.
Why You May Want to Operate a Church's Chicken Franchise
Church's Chicken has been operational for over 50 years, so when you franchise with the brand, you are opening a restaurant with a plethora of experience. The Church's Chicken franchise may help franchisees grow by sharing their existing values.
Besides sharing core values, Church's Chicken helps with site selection for a new restaurant and provides almost all of the necessary training for operations. The Church's Chicken franchise will help you pick a convenient location for customers to ensure constant patronization and possible long-term growth.
What Might Make a Church's Chicken Franchise a Good Choice?
To be part of the Church's Chicken team, you should make sure you are financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, or renewal fees. It may be a good idea to check in with an attorney or financial advisor to ensure that you are financially sound enough to begin and operate a Church’s Chicken franchise. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.
The Church's Chicken franchise strives to optimize growth by creating loyal customers and reliable services. Their food menus are simple, and they have an in-house real estate team and construction program to reduce the cost of setting up a new location. Additionally, franchisees can purchase an existing location that can easily be converted to restaurants, potentially saving the franchisee money.
How to Open a Church's Chicken Franchise
As you decide if opening a Church's Chicken franchise is right for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a franchise location would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.
Additionally, before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you.
Suppose you are chosen to start the process of opening a Church’s Chicken franchise. In that case, you should be allowed to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Church's Chicken team questions at the company discovery day and various interviews.
To get started, check out Church's Chicken and submit an inquiry form!
Company Overview
About Church's Texas Chicken
Business Overview
| Franchising Since | 1969 (56 years) |
|---|---|
| # of employees at HQ | 100 |
| Where seeking |
This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises worldwide. |
| # of Units | 1,474 (as of 2025) |
|
|
|
Information for Franchisees
Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Church's Texas Chicken franchise.
Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees
Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.
|
Initial Franchise Fee
|
$20,000 |
|---|---|
|
Initial Investment
|
$644,366 - $1,808,972 |
|
Net Worth Requirement
|
$500,000 |
|
Cash Requirement
|
$250,000 |
|
Veteran Incentives
|
50% off franchise fee |
|
Royalty Fee
|
5% |
|
Ad Royalty Fee
|
5% |
|
Term of Agreement
|
20 years |
| Is franchise term renewable? | Yes |
Financing Options
Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.
| Third Party Financing | Church's Texas Chicken has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory |
|---|
Training & Support Offered
Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.
| On-The-Job Training | 116-154 hours |
|---|---|
| Classroom Training | 13-17 hours |
| Ongoing Support |
Purchasing Co-ops
Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Field Operations
Site Selection
Franchisee Intranet Platform
|
| Marketing Support |
Co-op Advertising
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App
|
Operations
Additional details about running this franchise.
| Is absentee ownership allowed? | Yes |
|---|---|
|
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit?
|
No |
|
Can this franchise be run part time?
|
No |
| # of employees required to run | 4 |
|
Are exclusive territories available?
|
Yes |
Franchise 500 Ranking History
Compare where Church's Texas Chicken landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.
Additional Rankings
Curious to know where Church's Texas Chicken ranked on other franchise lists? Find out below.
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