The Reason It's So Cheap To Become A Chick-Fil-A Owner

For many, Chick-fil-A is one of those places that emits this sense of wholesomeness. We've all seen the stories about employees going above and beyond through their level of care and customer service. This devotion to providing customers with otherworldly service has created a fanbase of die-hard followers that would do anything short of living at the establishment due to their undying love and devotion. 

We've seen all the articles that share secret hacks, reveal some untold truths, and even share why their chicken is the chicken. Well, maybe now you sorta can live at a Chick-fil-A (although it's probably best you don't for sanitary reasons). Surprisingly enough, owning a Chick-fil-A franchise is relatively inexpensive (when compared to other fast-food franchises). According to the Business Insider, franchisees not only pay less than at other major chains, but Chick-fil-A does a lot of the initial heavy-lifting, something that many other fast food corporations do not.

The process for becoming a Chick-fil-A franchisee is fairly simple. To kickstart the process, you need to complete an online application that can be found on their website (via Chick-fil-A). If approved, the home office will reach out to you to set up an interview. It's good to note that they might want to interview your family and friends, so make sure you are in good standing with everyone (via Business Insider). 

You also have to cook up $10,000 in order to open it (compared to the estimated $1 million to $2.2 million you need for McDonald's), and Chick-fil-A will cover all the start-up costs. What does that mean exactly? Well, Chick-fil-A will kindly cover the cost of the real estate, restaurant construction, and all the equipment needed for you to run a successful business. But, like most things in life, there is a catch. Chick-fil-a requires all franchisees to ship over ongoing fees that equal roughly 15 percent of sales and an additional 50 percent of pretax profit to the home office (yes, you read that correctly). 

You also cannot own multiple franchise locations, as Chick-fil-A wants franchisees to focus on being hands-on. So while you'll know your customers on a first-name basis, you might not be rolling in dough in the long-run.