Correction and update, October 18, 2026: An earlier version incorrectly described Chick-fil-A’s Operator program as not a franchise. Its Operators are franchisees.
Chick-fil-A’s $10,000 initial franchise fee comes with a much larger commitment of the owner’s time. Its current U.S. requirements call for full-time, hands-on operation and divestiture of other non-passive business interests. The money for the fee must be neither borrowed nor gifted.
For someone already running restaurants under another brand, the divestiture requirement means deciding how to leave those active business interests as part of pursuing a Chick-fil-A.
The person taking that responsibility is a franchisee. Chick-fil-A calls its local franchise owners Operators and says selection is about finding a fit on both sides.
What the initial fee covers#
Chick-fil-A’s March 31, 2025 Operator Program disclosure says $10,000 is the only initial out-of-pocket investment required to begin. Other listed expenditures reduce restaurant profits and operator income. The filing says Chick-fil-A secures the premises and acquires most equipment; a traditional restaurant’s operator leases the space and rents equipment.
The 2025 fee formula defines the Base Operating Service Fee as 15% of monthly gross receipts, less equipment rental and business-services fees. An additional fee takes 50% of defined net profit. That profit calculation includes specified deductions and offsets; the percentages alone do not establish an operator’s take-home income.
The 2025 transfer provisions permit assignment to an approved business entity that the operator wholly owns and controls. They do not provide a general right to sell the franchise to another owner.
The business is built around the operator#
A May 2023 company profile of Marlon Terrell offers a concrete picture of the work. Chick-fil-A described him as the operator of its Linden and St. Georges Avenue restaurants in New Jersey. He had worked at a Chick-fil-A in high school, then served in the Navy’s nuclear submarine community and taught leadership before returning to the restaurant business.
His wife, April, an educator, became training director when they opened the restaurants, according to the profile. Employees could scan a QR code on the wall to request a conversation about advancement, with those discussions scheduled within 48 to 72 hours. The company reported that two of his team members had been accepted as Operators themselves.
“Nothing should be treated as routine because that leads to complacency,” Terrell said in the profile.
The chain’s minimum requirements include at least five years of professional work experience and experience leading a team. Candidates also need the legal right to own and operate a U.S. franchise and no bankruptcy in their financial history. Meeting the minimums does not guarantee selection.
That background need not be a career at Chick-fil-A. In a January 2024 explanation of its selection process, the company said more than a quarter of newly selected Operators had never worked for a Chick-fil-A restaurant or the company before applying. It described backgrounds ranging from manufacturing and law enforcement to education, retail and healthcare.
Selection comes before expansion#
The company’s application notice describes an initial Expression of Interest. Candidates who meet preliminary criteria may then be invited to complete an Operator Application, after which Chick-fil-A reviews their candidacy further. An offer to a qualifying applicant comes with a franchise disclosure document. Submitting the first form does not oblige the company to offer a restaurant.
Growth can follow a successful first restaurant. In the same 2024 explainer, Chick-fil-A said a select group of Operators could expand to as many as three traditional restaurants. It pointed to their operating history, local knowledge and involvement in the community when describing who receives that opportunity.
Chick-fil-A also has a separate licensing program for foodservice providers in settings such as universities, airports, healthcare facilities and business venues. That opportunity is unavailable to individuals.
QSR Pro Staff
The QSR Pro editorial team covers the quick service restaurant industry with in-depth analysis, data-driven reporting, and operator-first perspective.
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