There are plenty of reasons you might want to begin looking into opportunities for chicken franchises. Maybe you simply love fried or Buffalo-style chicken like so many millions of others!
Perhaps you’re seeking a tried-and-true business model, or really want to work with classic American food like that found in a chicken restaurant—but how to start? Researching chicken franchises is, happily, a fairly simple task once you understand your options and know some basic questions to ask.
To serve as a jump off point for those exploring chicken franchise opportunities, we’re going to cover many of the general research points you’ll want to hit upon during your investigation.
Many folks who are thinking about starting their own business will turn to the idea of going with a franchise to save both effort and time. Franchising offers several advantages that might otherwise escape an entrepreneur building a business from the ground up. These potential perks are a great starting point for consideration.
- Groundwork. Much of the business development groundwork—including the big idea—is already established by the franchisor. In the case of a food business like a chicken franchise, this translates into time and testing saved around recipes, equipment and more.
- Owner-Operations. Even though there is a business template for you to follow with a strong franchise opportunity, once you are on board as a franchisee, you’ll still get to be your own boss. That means you can surround yourself with the staff and specifics that work best for you.
- Time Invested. Stability and even growth can be quicker to come by, because much of the early investment of time to launch a business has already been completed by the franchisor. This includes less “tangible” investments like those that build the brand identity, reputation, marketing programs and new product development.
- New Business Help. Working with pre-established frameworks for how to start a food business like a chicken franchise can be a great benefit for those who may be newer to the restaurant business. Location selection, build-out processes, health codes, and more will be items that the franchisor already knows how to approach or can advise on.
Comparing Opportunities Available in Chicken Franchises
Aside from the many potential benefits of a franchise model when discovering how to start a new business, it’s a smart idea to research what specific opportunities are available in both your broader business area, and within a more defined market space.
In this case, you are looking to compare opportunities available in:
- the overall quick service restaurant (QSR) or fast food franchise space, and
- the more specific chicken restaurant franchise market
When it comes to chicken restaurants, there is a wide world of choices for you to think about, coast to coast. You may want to start your research by zeroing in on some of the defining factors of the type of food presentation or flavors that you’d love to get into.
For instance, are you hoping to get started with a chicken industry giant that offers a familiar household name and a menu based on standard American fare? If so, then fried chicken franchises might be a great place to begin your search.
On the other hand, are you looking to bring a new flavor or preparation option to a certain geographical region? Or maybe you’d like your restaurant franchise to appeal to certain kind of customer base, such sports fans, tourists or college students. If any of these are the case, you might want to focus on distinct flavors for a chicken restaurant like hot chicken wings franchises, or hone in on franchises that let you serve informal handheld food in a basket.
Look for the Best Chicken Franchise to Fit Your Goals
All this serves as a beginning list of key points on how to research a chicken franchise business. Think about what you and others you know like to eat, or wish you had more access to. Explore different options that you think will attract a base of customers you know of, based on location.
The next aspects of research you’ll want to perform includes more of your own goals, but this time, moving past tastes and locations to think about some of the financial and lifestyle options you are able to commit to. Is it your objective to work inside your own business day-to-day, ensuring it’s run to your ideal level? Are you able to put the necessary amount of capital behind your franchise investment to not only start it, but also help sustain it as it grows?
Here is a short list of answers to look into when exploring the best fried chicken franchises or chicken restaurant franchises to align with your own goals:
- Upfront Fees (the largest brands with the biggest footprints may require more)
- Expected Total Investment (know the amount you many need to spend or borrow over time)
- Franchise Royalties (most franchises collect these, so research the typical percentages)
- Start-Up Support (What’s the timing? What about marketing support or operations training?)
- Growth Trajectory (Is it a new franchise with booming potential, versus an older brand?)
Consider a Different Kind of Franchise – like The Buffalo Spot
As you’re doing your initial research for your chicken franchise, you might want to ask one more question of yourself to narrow down the field of consideration:
How will your restaurant franchise be differentiated?
In other words, perhaps you’d like to have a bit of a business edge and bring something new to an area? If that sounds interesting, consider a different kind of a franchise than the large corporate names you can find just about everywhere.
The Buffalo Spot may be just that opportunity for you. Founded in California in 2013, now with 35+ stores in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas, our world-famous Buffalo Fries and fresh Buffalo wings are taking markets full of hungry customers, and chicken lovers in particular, by storm. We’re looking to join forces with the right franchise owners to bring our exclusive recipes and fresh concept to new territories now.
