How do Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken and Sonic Drive-In royalties compare?

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken: 6.5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11); Sonic Drive-In: 1% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.

Do Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken and Sonic Drive-In disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Sonic Drive-In has reviewed Item 19 figures for 8 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Franchise opportunities compared

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken vs Sonic Drive-In

Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

HJHangry Joe's Hot Chicken2026 FDD SDSonic Drive-In2026 FDD

Initial investment · Item 7

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not available

Sonic Drive-In

$1,485,200

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 38

Initial franchise fee · Item 5

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

$35,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11

Sonic Drive-In

Not available

Royalty · Item 6

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

6.5%

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11

Sonic Drive-In

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34

Before you compare

Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
Only Sonic Drive-In has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

Financial commitment

Disclosure

HJHangry Joe's Hot Chicken

SDSonic Drive-In

Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not available

No reviewed Item 7 total

Sonic Drive-In

$1,485,200

TOTAL ESTIMATED INITIAL INVESTMENT (excluding free- standing real estate costs) (15) — 1485200

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 38

Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

$35,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11

Sonic Drive-In

Not available

No single standard fee identified

Royalty (Item 6)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

6.5%

Royalty fee

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11

Sonic Drive-In

lows: Duration of Effective Royalty Fee Effective Royalty Fee Opening through Year 1 — 1%

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34

Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Advertising fee maximum rate — 2%

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11

Sonic Drive-In

Not available

No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

System scale & health

Disclosure

HJHangry Joe's Hot Chicken

SDSonic Drive-In

Total outlets (Item 20)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not available

No reviewed outlet counts

Sonic Drive-In

3,412

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 74

Net outlet change (Item 20)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not available

Only one year reported

Sonic Drive-In

−109

Calculated: 3,521 at end of 2023 → 3,412 at end of 2025

Outlet exits (Item 20)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Sonic Drive-In

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Franchising since (Item 1)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Sonic Drive-In

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Franchisor founded (Item 1)

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Sonic Drive-In

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

HJHangry Joe's Hot Chicken

Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

SDSonic Drive-In

Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 2nd Quartile

47 percent

other 2nd Quartile

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71

Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All Restaurants

1,338 restaurants

other All Restaurants

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72

Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 1st Quartile

294 restaurants

other 1st Quartile

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71

+5 more groups in the full report

Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken vs Sonic Drive-In: common questions

How do Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken and Sonic Drive-In royalties compare?: Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken: 6.5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11); Sonic Drive-In: 1% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
Do Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken and Sonic Drive-In disclose financial performance (Item 19)?: Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Sonic Drive-In has reviewed Item 19 figures for 8 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

How Franopolis reviews FDD figures