How Much Does a Church's Texas Chicken Franchise Cost?

The May 1, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document gives three separate Estimated Initial Investment ranges, not one universal Church's Texas Chicken cost. A Blaze Freestanding Building is estimated at $1,202,400 to $1,886,300; a Conversion of Existing Freestanding Building at $609,725 to $1,296,300; and an End Cap Restaurant at $654,366 to $1,273,300. Each total is for one Restaurant and excludes Real Estate.

Capital snapshot

Source: current FDD, Items 5-7, pages 11-22. These figures summarize different capital obligations; none substitutes for the complete opening range.

The premises and construction contract changes by format. The new standalone prototype is generally about 1,000 to 1,400 square feet plus exterior cooler, freezer and utility space. The conversion model uses an existing drive-thru building, while the end-cap model occupies the end of shopping-center or Travel Plaza space. The official Church's Texas Chicken U.S. brand site identifies the operating brand; the financial ranges come from the current disclosure.

The opening estimate includes franchisor payments, buildout, equipment, pre-opening expenses and three months of working capital shown below. The largest format-sensitive categories are site preparation, construction and installed equipment. A ground-up building, an existing-building conversion and retail end-cap space require different scopes.

The remaining pre-opening categories are Initial Training, Opening Supplies, Insurance, Utility Deposits, Business Licenses and the three-month Additional Funds allowance. Source: current FDD, pages 17-22. The supplies allowance covers an estimated one to two weeks of food and paper products. Training travel includes transportation, lodging, living expenses, uniforms, compensation and benefits for the owner and designated managers; actual expense varies with headcount and travel.

What do Additional Funds cover?

The $10,000 to $20,000 working-capital line is already inside each total. It is intended for payroll, uniforms, supplies and miscellaneous expenses during an initial phase estimated at three months. The disclosure warns that more capital may be necessary during or after that period and does not expressly say owner compensation is included.

The initial capital is paid in stages, beginning with the Development Agreement and continuing through the first three months after opening. The current FDD states that the disclosure document must be delivered at least 14 calendar days before a binding agreement or payment; the Federal Trade Commission is the federal source identified on the FDD cover for franchise disclosure guidance.

The required grand-opening payment finances a campaign beginning no earlier than opening and ending no later than 90 days afterward. The higher disclosed category endpoint includes the recommended optional Block Party. Source: current FDD, Items 5 and 7, pages 11-13 and 17-22.

The baseline recurring contract includes weekly percentage charges, current digital charges, a support-program charge and product-level supply-chain surcharges. Percentage fees must be read by their disclosed basis; they should not be converted into an annual dollar estimate without actual sales data.

“Gross Sales” covers revenue and other income related to the Restaurant, subject to the exclusions stated in Item 6 for good-faith refunds, used-equipment sales outside the ordinary course and collected sales taxes. Church's Holding's Supply Chain Department is funded through current per-case surcharges of $3.57 for regular chicken boxes, $3.57 for family chicken boxes, $0.95 for frying oil and $4.71 for biscuit mix. The amounts can move with supply-chain costs and may include administration amounts retained by the franchisor or affiliates.

A separate U.S. Military Veterans and First Responders Program reduces the Initial Franchise Fee to $10,000 for the first qualifying Restaurant, due when its Franchise Agreement is signed. It does not apply to a transferred Restaurant. If the qualifying owner leaves within two years, the unpaid balance up to the standard $20,000 fee becomes immediately due. Source: current FDD, Item 5, pages 12-13.

The fee schedule contains event-triggered charges that can become material during a delay, transfer, default, audit, supplier request, closure or renewal. Keep them outside the opening budget unless the triggering circumstance applies.

• Development Schedule Extension$5,000 for each six-month extension. An opening-date extension can be credited to the Franchise Fee if the Restaurant opens within the extended period; a site-approval extension receives no credit.
• Transfer and Unauthorized TransferThe standard Transfer Fee is $10,000, paid as $5,000 during application review and $5,000 at closing. An unauthorized transfer is $25,000.
• Renewal50% of Cajun Global LLC's then-current standard Initial Franchise Fee, due when the renewal Franchise Agreement is signed. Renewal also can require refurbishment and modernization.
• New Supplier Inspection and Product TestingActual inspection and testing costs, disclosed as potentially $0 to $5,000, are due on demand when a previously unapproved supplier is proposed.
• Audit and Sales UnderstatementIf an audit finds Gross Sales understated by 2% or more, the franchisee reimburses audit and travel costs. The FDD anticipates approximately $1,000 to $5,000 for one Restaurant, depending on circumstances.
• Late Payment and Default RoyaltyLate charges are 1.5% of amounts due per month plus $100, subject to applicable-law limits. During default, Cajun Global LLC may add 1% of Gross Sales to the Royalty Fee.
• Closure and Liquidated DamagesA compensated temporary closure can trigger Minimum Royalty based on the prior 52-week average. Termination for default can trigger a liquidated-damages formula using average weekly Royalty Fees and Advertising Contributions multiplied by the lesser of 208 or the weeks remaining.
• Tax reimbursement and securities reviewTaxes or assessments imposed on the franchisor because of the franchise relationship are reimbursable within 30 days after invoice. A proposed securities offering triggers a $10,000 review charge or a greater amount needed to reimburse the review cost.
• Reimaging and renovationThe Franchise Agreement requires full modernization at the franchisee's sole cost when directed, but generally not more often than once every seven years. No renovation amount is disclosed. Source: 2026 FDD, Franchise Agreement Exhibit C, pages 19-20.
• Cure, follow-up inspection, indemnity and attorneys' feesThese obligations vary by circumstance and are payable if incurred or demanded under the Franchise Agreement.

Training charges also change by circumstance: the first two manager trainees for new development currently have no course fee, while each additional trainee is $1,250. A transferee pays that amount for the first two and any later trainees before attendance. Source: current FDD, Items 5 and 6, pages 11-17.

The franchisor says it does not currently offer direct or indirect financing and does not guarantee a note, lease or obligation. The current document also gives no numeric cash, net-worth or non-borrowed-funds threshold for a new applicant. Those qualifications cannot be inferred from the opening estimate.

Estimated Initial Investment

The opening-table amount needed to establish one Restaurant under the specified format, excluding Real Estate.

Liquid Capital

No numeric threshold is disclosed in the current FDD. It would describe readily available funding if Cajun Global LLC sets one during screening.

Net Worth

No numeric threshold is disclosed in the current FDD. Net Worth is not the same as cash available for construction and opening.

Personal Guaranty

The FDD identifies guaranty obligations for owners of a franchisee entity; the guarantee is a legal obligation, not an additional opening line item.

Third-party Financing

Availability and terms depend on lender conditions and creditworthiness. Franchisor disclosure of no financing is not a statement that outside financing will be approved.

Source: current FDD, Item 10, page 27, plus guaranty references in Items 9 and 17. Any current applicant-screening minimum should be confirmed through the official U.S. franchise channel rather than copied from a directory.

The official ranges do not resolve the property contract, local construction scope, technology configuration, supplier pricing or future remodel obligation. Tie those variables to the approved format and site before treating the capital plan as complete.

• Reconcile franchisor-paid opening amountsAsk the franchisor to resolve the cover arithmetic against the detailed opening table before any payment is made.
• Price property separatelyObtain the lease or purchase price, security deposit, utility deposits and site-specific occupancy costs; none is resolved by the three disclosed totals.
• Confirm the approved technology packageItem 11 identifies required checkout hardware, network, digital menu boards and timers, recurring software charges, and an unlimited contractual ability to require upgrades or replacement.
• Map approved suppliers and surchargesItem 8 requires designated or approved sources for Trade Secret Products, Proprietary Products, the POS System and other operating inputs, with current product-level surcharges.
• Separate transfer or renewal capitalA future transfer or renewal can require the fee itself plus deferred maintenance, training, reimaging, renovation, modernization and then-current operating standards.
• Request a separate schedule for other configurationsThe FDD contains amendments for convenience-store, Travel Plaza and co-branded Restaurants, but the opening tables publish only the three ranges analyzed above. Do not assign one of those totals to another configuration without written support.
• Stress-test working capital without changing the disclosureThe stated reserve covers an estimated three months and is already included. Any larger reserve is a buyer-specific funding decision, not a franchisor estimate.

Use the format-specific range stated at the beginning of this article, not a blended endpoint. Price the property separately, preserve the included three-month reserve without double-counting it, and treat the weekly percentages, current digital charges, support-program charge and product surcharges as post-opening obligations.

The most important unresolved question is the site-specific capital contract: lease or purchase terms, construction scope, equipment condition, approved technology and written incentive eligibility. Those terms determine where the project lands inside its range and whether more capital is required.