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CHESTER'S

CHESTER'S

Chester’s International, LLC franchises quick-service restaurants under the CHESTER’S brand that specialize in chicken and sides, primarily located within convenience stores or other retail businesses as a 'Restaurant-in-Store' concept, with options for strip malls, food courts, or non-traditional sites like sports arenas. The business model grants franchises to operators integrating the brand into existing retail spaces, providing training, proprietary recipes, equipment, and ongoing support while charging initial fees and royalties. It targets experienced retail operators in high-traffic locations serving impulse buyers seeking affordable, quick fried chicken and sides.

918
Locations
$28K–$307K
Investment
Since 2004
Franchising
Download FDD
Food & BeverageBirmingham, ALchesterschicken.comDisclaimer

Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee
$3,500
Item 5 of FDD
Initial Investment Range
$27,500 – $306,500
Low: $27,500High: $306,500
Item 7 of FDD
Royalty Rate
N/A
Brand Fund
N/A
Item 6 of FDD
Fixed Monthly Fees
$250 – $325
Item 6 of FDD

No royalty or ad fund. $250-$325/mo POS technology fee (Store-in-Store/Non-Trad only) + $200/qtr marketing support fee.

Financial Performance

Item 19 Financial Performance

This franchise did not provide Item 19 financial performance data.

Be careful if you are interested in investing. The lack of financial performance representations may indicate limited data or varying results across franchises.

Extracted Item 19 Section

How CHESTER'S Compares

Key Insights

  • One of the lowest investment costs in Fast Food (ranked #3 of 129)
  • Higher than average SBA loan default rate in Fast Food
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
CHESTER'S
Current
$28K – $307K$4KN/A918
MCDONALD'S$1.5M – $2.6M$45KN/A12,772
AFC$45K – $151K$6K9.5%3,572
KFC (NON-TRADITIONAL)$1.2M – $4.2M$45KN/A3,404
SONIC DRIVE-IN$1.5M – $2.5M$15K5.0%3,120
JIMMY JOHN'S$366K – $734K$35K6.0%2,737
Fast Food Average
129 franchises
$613K – $1.6M$35K6.1%–

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 129 Fast Food franchises by location count.

SBA Loan History

Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for CHESTER'S franchisees (2016 – 2025)

Total Loans
9
Average Loan
$1,770,544
Total Volume
$15.9M
Default Rate
0.0%

Loans by Year

SBA 7(a) loan activity over time

* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.

Franchisee Contacts

926 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

NameSBA Loan
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active

926 Contacts Available

Unlock all CHESTER'S franchisee contacts with verified contact information

Due Diligence

Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases0
No litigation involving franchisees reported

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
11
Non-Renewals
33
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
151
Transfers
15
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
183

Frequently Asked Questions

The total initial investment to open a CHESTER'S franchise ranges from $27,500 to $306,500. This includes a franchise fee of $3,500.

Download CHESTER'S FDD

Complete Franchise Disclosure Document — 2026 filing.

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