How Much Do Chick-fil-A Franchise Owners Make Per Year?

How Much Do Chick-fil-A Franchise Owners Make Per Year?

Even with the success of its chicken sandwich, Popeyes still doesn’t have Chick-fil-A beat when it comes to being America’s favorite fast food chain. Not even McDonald’s can seem to touch Chick-fil-A in the brand satisfaction and customer loyalty category, according to QSR Magazine. When one considers just how popular the chicken chain is with American consumers, operating one of their franchises seems like it would be a pretty lucrative business endeavor.

Owning a Chick-fil-A franchise comes with some different stipulations than the other fast food chains out there, however. Then again, part of what has made Chick-fil-A so successful is also what separates them from their competitors. For those who do manage to open a Chick-fil-A franchise – and getting one isn’t easy – the income is very good.

As for exactly how much a Chick-fil-A franchisee – excuse us, the company calls them “operators” – makes a year, well, that obviously can vary depending on the store. According to a Forbes article, in 2007, a single-store operator took home an average salary of $100,000. That’s by no means bad, but 2007 was years ago and Chick-fil-A’s popularity has only grown since then.

Most fast food companies don’t make it widely known just how much their franchise owners earn a year, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible to get a pretty good idea. According to the franchise information group, Franchise City, a Chick-fil-A operator today can expect to earn an average of around $200,000 a year. This calculation is based on the average restaurant’s earnings and the percent gross that operators take. The chicken business pays pretty well, but the tough part is actually getting the business. But surprisingly, Chick-fil-A spokesperson Amanda Hannah told Business Insider:

“The barrier to entry for being a franchisee is never going to be money.”

The company is pretty picky about who they allow to run their restaurants, and looks at an applicant’s involvement within the community with a fine-toothed comb. To put into perspective just how few people make the cut, every year Chick-fil-A gets around 20,000 inquiries about opening a franchise, but Hannah says that only between 75 and 80 are selected.

Compared to other franchises, such as McDonald’s, which asks for a $45,000 startup fee and liquid assets of $500,000, Chick-fil-A’s $10,000 fee is a real bargain. In fact, it’s actually the cheapest fast food franchise a person can buy. That’s a real steal compared to the $30,000 average fast food franchise startup fee, and for the curious, the next cheapest is Subway and Church’s chicken at around $15,000 each.