Franchise opportunities compared
Thai Express vs The Budlong Hot Chicken
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
- Thai Express figures come from its 2026 FDD and The Budlong Hot Chicken figures from its 2025 FDD, so the years differ.
- Thai Express and The Budlong Hot Chicken disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Only neither brand has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure | TEThai Express | TBThe Budlong Hot Chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $8.00 – $532,400 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $0.00 – $389,950 2025 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $30,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 30 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 18% Breaching Royalties: for percentage-based royalties, up to 18% of Gross Sales during any period of franchisee breach or default, without advance notice or right to cure; franchisor may instead charge the greater of three times the fixed Royalty fee. Breaching Royalties apply for at least 14 days. 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 38 | Not available No reviewed royalty record |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $4.00 Marketing Fund Contributions may be increased to 4% of Gross Sales only if at least 75% of franchisees in the system at the time vote in favor. 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 36 | Not available No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | Not available No reviewed outlet counts | 6 Outlets at end of 2024 2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 50 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | Not available Only one year reported | +2 Calculated: 4 at end of 2022 → 6 at end of 2024 |
| 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 | Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation | 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.