Should I open or buy a PDQ Restaurants franchise in 2027?

By Kory White · Updated Nov 2026 · 5 min read

PDQ chicken tenders with waffle fries, Texas toast, dipping sauce and an iced drink on a yellow background

Direct answer

PDQ does not publish a franchise offering today, and the chain is smaller than it was. PDQ's own website, read on November 8, 2026, has no franchise page: eatpdq.com/franchise returns a not-found error, its sitemap lists none, and its menu links cover locations, rewards, catering and careers only. I could not find a public Franchise Disclosure Document for PDQ either. Nation's Restaurant News reported on October 27, 2026 that PDQ has nearly 40 locations, down from 62 at the end of 2022, and that its leadership did not say whether it plans to grow its footprint again.

That means there is no PDQ franchise fee, royalty or investment range to quote here, and this page does not invent one. Figures on third-party sites are not from PDQ. If PDQ sells franchises through a channel it does not advertise, the only reliable source is its Franchise Disclosure Document, which a franchisor must give you before you sign or pay. This page shows how to ask for it, then compares chicken brands that publish their franchise terms. This is not financial advice; talk to a franchise attorney before you pay or sign anything.

What PDQ says about franchising

PDQ is a Tampa chicken-tender chain. Its Our Story page says it was founded in Tampa, Florida in 2011 by Outback Steakhouse co-founder Bob Basham and MVP Holdings CEO Nick Reader. The site footer credits Captiva MVP Restaurant Partners LLC.

What the site does not have is a franchising page. The homepage links to locations, rewards, deals, events, catering and careers, and the sitemap has no franchise or development page. Checked on November 8, 2026.

PDQ franchise page on eatpdq.comNone found (eatpdq.com/franchise returns not found)
PDQ public Franchise Disclosure DocumentNone found
PDQ franchise fee or investment rangeNot published
PDQ Item 19 earnings claimNot public

I could not search every state franchise registry, since several require an interactive search. For certainty, search PDQ's legal name (the site footer names Captiva MVP Restaurant Partners LLC) in the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions or California DFPI franchise databases, and ask PDQ in writing for its FDD.

How big PDQ is now

PDQ's locations page lists 35 restaurants in Florida, 3 in North Carolina and 1 in New Jersey. Nation's Restaurant News reported on October 27, 2026 that PDQ had 62 locations at the end of 2022 and has nearly 40 now, that its unit count is down 31%, that average unit volumes have fallen more than 13% since 2022, and that sales dropped nearly 25% year over year in 2025.

In September 2025, Yum! Brands announced it had acquired 13 PDQ restaurant site leases in Florida: four in Central Florida, three in North Florida and six on the West Coast. Yum said it was not buying the PDQ brand or its IP and called the deal a real estate transaction. Some of those sites are becoming Saucy by KFC.

PDQ locations, end of 202262
PDQ locations, October 2026Nearly 40
PDQ unit count change since 2022Down 31%
PDQ sales change, 2025Down nearly 25%
PDQ site leases acquired by Yum, Sep 202513

The same report quotes Chief Operating Officer and People Officer Nina Franchina saying growth means more than adding restaurants, with the near-term focus on guest visits, profitability of existing restaurants and employee development. A shrinking brand is not automatically a bad franchise, but it is the most important thing to ask any franchise sales contact about.

What to do if you still want a PDQ unit

Ask PDQ in writing. Use the contact link on eatpdq.com and ask whether it is selling franchises and for its current Franchise Disclosure Document.
Read Item 19 and Item 20. Item 19 is the optional financial performance representation; a franchisor that includes none is not required to give you sales or profit figures. Item 20 lists openings, closures and transfers, which matters for a brand that has closed restaurants.
Call franchisees. The FDD lists current and former franchisee contacts. Ask about sales, margins and why units closed.
Treat quoted numbers as unverified. A broker or website quoting a PDQ fee and investment range is not quoting a PDQ source I could find.
Check who the franchisor is. If a unit is offered as a resale or lease takeover, confirm who the franchisor is and that it can legally offer it.

Chicken franchises that publish their terms

If your goal is a chicken-tender or chicken-wing restaurant you can own, these brands publish franchise terms. They are examples, not a ranking, and each brand's current FDD governs.

Dave's Hot Chicken: initial investment$619,800 to $1,963,000 per restaurant
Dave's Hot Chicken: stated requirements$2,500,000 liquid assets; $5,000,000 net worth
Dave's Hot Chicken: development requirementDevelop 5 or more restaurants
Wingstop: average U.S. initial investment, fiscal 2024About $535,000, excluding real estate and pre-opening costs
Wingstop: franchise fee and royalty$20,000 per restaurant; 6% of gross sales
Wingstop: advertising fund5.3% of gross sales in 2024, rising to 5.5% in 2025
Wingstop: domestic average unit volume, fiscal 2024About $2.1 million

Dave's Hot Chicken. Its franchising page lists the investment range above, says applicants must develop 5 or more restaurants, and says it is considering only experienced multi-unit restaurant franchisees at this time. It is not a first-time-owner route.
Wingstop. Its fiscal 2024 annual report says about 98% of its restaurants were operated by franchisees, gives the fee, royalty and average investment above, and adds a $10,000 development fee per restaurant under an area development agreement. It sells wings and tenders, not a tender-only menu.

These figures are dated: Dave's from its franchising page and Wingstop from its fiscal 2024 report. Fees and ranges change with each FDD.

How to evaluate any chicken franchise

Get the FDD. Federal rules require franchisors to give you the Franchise Disclosure Document before you sign or pay. Read Items 5, 6, 7, 19 and 20.
Put every fee on one line. Add the royalty and the ad-fund rate on the same sales base before comparing brands.
Look at the trend, not the brochure. Compare opening and closing counts in Item 20 and ask what happened to average unit sales.
Hire a franchise attorney and an accountant. Have both review the contract and your projections before you commit.

This page is not financial advice.

Questions people ask

Does PDQ franchise?

I found no franchise offering. PDQ's own site has no franchise page, and eatpdq.com/franchise returns a not-found error as of November 8, 2026. Ask PDQ in writing and request its FDD.

How much does a PDQ franchise cost?

PDQ publishes no franchise fee, royalty or investment range that I could find. Figures on third-party sites are not from PDQ; the FDD is the only reliable source.

How many PDQ restaurants are there?

Nation's Restaurant News reported nearly 40 locations on October 27, 2026, down from 62 at the end of 2022. PDQ's locations page lists 35 in Florida, 3 in North Carolina and 1 in New Jersey.

Did Yum! Brands buy PDQ?

No. In September 2025 Yum acquired 13 PDQ site leases in Florida and said it was not buying the PDQ brand or IP.

Is PDQ's financial performance public?

Not that I found. There is no public PDQ Item 19 earnings claim, so a buyer would need the FDD and calls to franchisees.

What are alternatives to a PDQ franchise?

Chicken brands that publish franchise terms, such as Dave's Hot Chicken and Wingstop. Compare each brand's current FDD.

Sources

PDQ: homepage and sitemap · No franchise page or link; /franchise returns not found (Nov 8, 2026)
PDQ: Our Story · Founded in Tampa in 2011 by Bob Basham and Nick Reader
PDQ: locations · 35 Florida, 3 North Carolina, 1 New Jersey; Captiva MVP Restaurant Partners LLC
Nation's Restaurant News: PDQ marks its 15th anniversary (Oct 27, 2026) · Nearly 40 locations, 62 at end of 2022, sales and unit trends, COO quote
Jacksonville Daily Record: Yum! Brands to convert 13 Florida PDQs (Sep 17, 2025) · 13 site leases; Yum not buying brand or IP
Dave's Hot Chicken: franchising · Investment range, liquidity, net worth and development requirements
Wingstop Inc. 2024 annual report · Franchise fee, royalty, ad fund, development fee, average investment, AUV

PDQ facts were read from eatpdq.com, a Nation's Restaurant News report dated October 27, 2026 and a Jacksonville Daily Record report dated September 17, 2025; competitor figures from Dave's Hot Chicken's franchising page and Wingstop's fiscal 2024 annual report, all on November 8, 2026. I found no public PDQ Franchise Disclosure Document and could not search every state registry. Fees and ranges change with each FDD. This is not financial advice; talk to a franchise attorney before you sign.