---
title: "The Budlong Southern Chicken Franchise: Costs, Fees and Profit"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/82dcc4fd-f00f-46a8-90e6-602351bb8ee8
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/franchise-deep-dive-the-budlong-southern-chicken-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-2726848
category: "Chicken"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Chicken"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2024-08-06T12:07:45.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:04:07.957Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/015c3509a9def22da933e4dc6ac1fbde9060.jpg
---

# The Budlong Southern Chicken Franchise: Costs, Fees and Profit

**TL;DR:** The Budlong Southern Chicken is a fast-casual franchise offering authentic Nashville hot chicken, with over 30 years of experience in the Mexican fast-casual industry. The brand was founded in 2016 and is now overseen by Craveworthy Brands, with franchising opportunities starting in 2023.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2024-08-06. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/franchise-deep-dive-the-budlong-southern-chicken-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-2726848).*

## Story

The Budlong Southern Chicken offers a fast-casual dining experience featuring authentic Nashville hot chicken, made-to-order with chef-inspired ingredients and scratch-made sauces.

The Budlong Southern Chicken was founded in 2016 in the Chicagoland area, inspired by Nashville hot chicken and dedicated to delivering authentic Southern flavors. Initially opened in a location formerly occupied by the Budlong Pickle Company, which was founded in the 1850s, the brand pays homage to its roots with its name and culinary traditions.

Collaborating with renowned chefs, The Budlong has expanded its menu and operational expertise, leading to franchising opportunities starting in 2023. Craveworthy Brands now oversees the operation of four locations and supports the brand’s growth and development.

The Budlong Southern Chicken franchise offers a scalable and flexible business model centered around fresh, made-to-order Southern chicken with chef-inspired ingredients. Emphasizing a small footprint and off-premise dining, it allows for lower initial investments and diverse real estate options. Franchisees benefit from streamlined operations, significant growth potential and strong support from Craveworthy Brands.

The brand does not make this information publicly available. Prospective owners can access this information through the brand’s most recent Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

The total initial investment necessary to begin operation of a franchise with The Budlong Southern Chicken ranges from $178,000 to $989,500.

The franchise fee required to begin operation of a franchise with The Budlong Southern Chicken is $35,000, which must be paid to the franchisor.

*Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained on this site constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any franchises, securities, or other financial instruments in this or in any other jurisdiction in which such solicitation or offer would be unlawful under the franchise and/or securities laws of such jurisdiction.*

*All content in this article is information of a general nature and does not address the detailed circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Nothing in the article constitutes professional and/or financial advice, nor does any information in the email constitute a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed or the law relating thereto. You alone assume the sole responsibility of evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of any information or other content in this article before making any decisions based on such information or other content.*

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- fast casual (topic)
- franchise costs (topic)
- franchising opportunities (topic)
- Craveworthy (company)
- nashville hot chicken (topic)
- Chicagoland (location)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/franchise-deep-dive-the-budlong-southern-chicken-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-2726848). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/82dcc4fd-f00f-46a8-90e6-602351bb8ee8).