Franchise opportunities compared
Hickory River Smokehouse vs Jerk King
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.
Before you compare
- Hickory River Smokehouse figures come from its 2026 FDD and Jerk King figures from its 2025 FDD, so the years differ.
- Hickory River Smokehouse discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Only Hickory River Smokehouse has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure |  Hickory River Smokehouse | JKJerk King |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $315,000 – $1,084,500 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $247,826 Total initial investment 2025 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 18 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $30,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 8 | $30,000 2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $5.00 Royalty Fee — 5% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 8 | $5.00 Continuing royalty rate 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 9 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $3.00 National Marketing Fee — 3% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 8 | $0.00 System advertising fund currently 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 5 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 34 | Not available No reviewed outlet counts |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −1 Calculated: 6 at end of 2023 → 5 at end of 2025 | Not available Only one year reported |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $1,536,579 other Revenue · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 33 | Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation |
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.