Start a Slim Chickens Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #81 Ranked #84 last year

Initial investment: $1.5M - $4.4M

Units as of 2024: 251 109.2% over 3 years

Whether it is chicken tenders, wings, or wraps, the mission of Slim Chickens is to serve the best hand-breaded chicken using the freshest ingredients. Since its inception in 2003, the foundation for Slim Chickens has always been serving customers the best meals with 100 percent all-natural premium tenderloins.

Slim Chickens began franchising in 2011 and has since opened more than 80 U.S. franchises to go along with more than 10 that are located internationally.

Why You May Want to Start a Slim Chickens Franchise

Slim Chickens strives to be known to go above and beyond in creating its food. Slim Chickens franchise locations serve main course chicken meals with side dishes including southern-fried pickles or fried mushrooms. Customers may want to save room for delicious strawberry cheesecake and chocolate brownie desserts. As a fun change of pace, all items are typically served in Mason jars.

Slim Chickens was founded in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and now has dozens of locations in several states. In addition to daily operations, Slim Chickens offers catering for special occasions. Whether it is game day, weddings, outdoor gatherings, family reunions, or office parties, Slim Chickens works with customers to give them the best food.

What Might Make a Slim Chickens Franchise a Good Choice?

A dedication to good food served with the customer in mind may be why Slim Chickens has experienced sustained success.

An ideal franchisee should have a desire to serve their community and make fresh food. A background in hospitality would be helpful, but it is preferred that franchisees have restaurant or franchise experience. But if you don't have the experience, the Slim Chickens team can teach you what you need to know.

To be part of the Slim Chickens team, you should make sure you're 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, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth requirements.

How To Open a Slim Chickens Franchise

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. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Slim Chickens franchising team questions.

As part of applying for a Slim Chickens franchise, you will be required to go through an interview and submit a franchise application. From there, you will be traveling to company headquarters in Fayetteville, Arkansas as part of a discovery day to tour existing Slim Chickens restaurants.

You will also be meeting with the Slim Chickens founders, Tom Gordon, Ryan Hodson, and Greg Smart, along with their team, to discuss your ideas for a franchise and its location. A Slim Chickens franchise representative will guide you as you explore your potential franchise opportunity.

It may be a good idea to speak with an attorney or a financial advisor to ensure that you have the necessary financial resources to own and operate a Slim Chickens franchise.

Company Overview

About Slim Chickens

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Chicken
Founded	2003
Parent Company	Slim Chickens
Leadership	Sam Rothschild, COO & Partner
Corporate Address	1088 E. Millsap Rd. Fayetteville, AR 72703
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2011 (14 years)
# of employees at HQ	70
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises worldwide.
# of Units	251 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Slim Chickens 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 Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$15,000 - $30,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$1,522,900 - $4,439,000
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$3,000,000 - $12,000,000
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	3%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10-15 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	Slim Chickens has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

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	210 hours
Classroom Training	30 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes