Verified — real FDD extraction
Not found in the SBA Franchise Directory under this name — though SBA loans to its franchisees exist; verify eligibility with your lender
Chick-fil-A Operator Program
Other · independent · est. —
Chick-fil-A's operator program is the company's traditional restaurant model, in which Chick-fil-A owns the restaurant and selects an operator rather than selling a conventional franchise. The operator runs a single quick-service chicken restaurant day-to-day for a modest upfront fee, sharing revenue and profits with the company under terms that differ from most franchises.
Chick-fil-A Operator Program net unit count grew +11.3% from 2013–2015 per its FDD Item 20.
New to franchising? Start here
A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.
Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:
- Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
- Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
- Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).
The verdict
Proven & strong
Distress
Enough units and history to judge, and the record is good: growing or stable units with clean exits by the standards of its disclosed record. The standout in the record: owner turnover is low.
Exit rate · latest year
0.8%
fiscal 2015, per Item 20
Cost to open
$259K–$1.6M
Item 7 total investment range
SBA loan defaults
Too few resolved
1 loans exist; too few resolved to rate
Behind the verdict
the record, factor by factor · Item 20
3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1
terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3
transfers vs. base · Table 3
actual vs. projected openings · Table 5
Item 19 disclosure + completeness
Systemwide units
2013–2015
Survival record
FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year
In fiscal 2015, 12 of 1,553 franchised outlets left the system — a 0.8% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.
Show the outlet tables ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| Status (FTC) | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlets at start | 1,430 | 1,507 | 1,595 |
| Opened | 155 | 168 | 172 |
| Transfers | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terminations | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-renewals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reacquired by franchisor | 63 | 72 | 67 |
| Ceased — other reasons | 13 | 8 | 12 |
| Outlets at end | 1,507 | 1,595 | 1,677 |
| Net change | +77 | +88 | +82 |
The lender's view
SBA 7(a)/504 loan performance · FY1991–present
Banks have made 1 SBA-backed loans to Chick-fil-A Operator Program franchisees since 2016. Most are still open, so there is not yet a resolved cohort large enough to rate.
—
0 resolved · too thin to rate
—
avg. charged-off $ ÷ approved $
—
default rate × loss severity
$435,700
what recent franchisees borrowed
—
approval → charge-off, defaulted loans
0 vs 1
distinct banks — pulling back
Charge-off rate by loan approval year (%)
SOURCE: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA LOAN DATA (DATA.SBA.GOV), FY1991–PRESENT · MATCHED TO CHICK-FIL-A OPERATOR PROGRAM BY FRANCHISE NAME · RESOLVED = CHARGED-OFF + PAID-IN-FULL
What it costs — and what it drags
FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty
Buying in means a $10K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $259K–$1.6M (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.
To open (Item 7)
$259K–$1.6M
all-in investment range
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$10K
upfront, one-time
Royalty (Item 6)
15%
of sales, ongoing
Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.
Royalty you'd pay / yr
$150K
15% of sales, before profit
Over a 10-yr term
$1.5M
royalties alone, excl. ad fund
This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.
Build a real pro-forma for Chick-fil-A Operator Program with an independent CPADistress signals
news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits
No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for Chick-fil-A Operator Program. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.
8 questions to ask a Chick-fil-A Operator Program franchisee
Built from this brand's own disclosures · take it to your validation calls
The franchisor will give you a list of owners to call. Most buyers ask whether they like it. These are the questions built from what Chick-fil-A Operator Program has actually disclosed — each one carries the number it came from, so you can tell whether the answer squares with the record.
- 01
Chick-fil-A Operator Program’s own Item 20 shows 12 of 1,553 franchised outlets left the system in fiscal 2015 — about 0.8%. Do you know any of those owners, and do you know why they left?
A franchisor will call these “transitions.” An owner three doors down usually knows whether they sold at a profit or handed the keys back.
FDD Item 20 · FY2015
- 02
You pay 15.0% royalty on gross sales, plus the ad fund, before any of your own costs. On your actual revenue last year, what did you take home as the owner — not revenue, take-home?
Royalty is charged on sales, not profit. This is the number the brochure never shows and the one your life actually runs on.
FDD Item 6
- 03
Chick-fil-A Operator Program makes an earnings claim in Item 19. Does your unit look like that number — and do you know which units they included to build it?
Item 19 is legal to build from a flattering subset. Ask whether they excluded new units, closed units, or company stores.
FDD Item 19 · 2016
- 04
How many months did it take to cover your own costs, and how much cash did you burn getting there?
Ramp-to-breakeven working capital is the most underestimated line in any franchise purchase, and the most common reason otherwise-good units fail.
Not disclosed in any FDD — ask an owner
- 05
Item 3 discloses 6 legal matters. Do you know what those were about, and were any brought by franchisees?
Franchisee-brought suits over territory, fees or support tell you how the franchisor behaves when there's a disagreement.
FDD Item 3 · 2016
- 06
What does the franchisor charge for that you didn't expect — required tech fees, mandatory remodels, approved-supplier pricing?
Required spending appears across Items 6, 8 and 11 rather than in one place, so buyers routinely miss the total.
FDD Items 6, 8, 11
- 07
If your agreement came up for renewal tomorrow at current terms, would you sign again?
The single most predictive question you can ask. A hesitation is the answer.
Ask every owner you speak to
- 08
Who else should I call — including someone who left?
The franchisor's list is curated by definition. Former franchisees are where the unflattering truth lives, and current owners usually know how to reach them.
Ask every owner you speak to
Want this as a checklist you can take to the calls?
I'll email you the printable version, and tell you if Chick-fil-A Operator Program’s numbers move — a new filing, a rising exit rate, a distress signal. Unsubscribe in one click.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Chick-fil-A Operator Program's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
This page is what buyers see before they call you for validation. If the record above is wrong — or right in a way the numbers can't show — say so. Corrections are checked against the filings; nothing you write is published with your name unless you agree to it.
Chick-fil-A Operator Program franchise questions, answered from the filings
What percentage of Chick-fil-A Operator Program franchises closed last year?
In Chick-fil-A Operator Program's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2015), 12 of 1,553 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 0.8%. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.
How much does a Chick-fil-A Operator Program franchise cost?
Per Chick-fil-A Operator Program's 2016 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $10K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $259K–$1.6M (Item 7).
What royalty does Chick-fil-A Operator Program charge?
Chick-fil-A Operator Program charges an ongoing royalty of 15.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2016 FDD.
Does Chick-fil-A Operator Program disclose earnings (Item 19)?
Yes — Chick-fil-A Operator Program makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2016 FDD. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.