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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Lee’s Famous Recipe Franchise

Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken is a quick-service restaurant franchise specializing in fried chicken, homestyle sides, and biscuits. Founded in Lima, Ohio in 1966, the brand has operated for nearly six decades, with franchising beginning in 1967, making it one of the earliest regional fried chicken chains to offer franchise opportunities in the United States. Its product identity centers on fresh, hand-breaded chicken prepared to a signature family recipe, alongside classic homestyle sides.

The business model is a brick-and-mortar QSR format with exclusive territories and multiple revenue channels: dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering. Franchisees operate under a branded consumer loyalty platform (Famous Rewards) with a mobile app for ordering and rewards redemption. In 2021, Artemis Restaurant Corp. acquired the brand, investing in system modernization with a new restaurant prototype, updated branding, and expanded marketing partnerships rolled out in 2023.

Lee’s operates primarily across the Midwest and Southeast United States, with select international locations. The brand competes in the fried chicken QSR segment through its heritage positioning and distinct product profile rather than national chain scale.

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Why buy a Lee’s Famous Recipe Franchise?

To buy a Lee’s Famous Recipe franchise is to acquire a position in one of the oldest fried chicken QSR systems still actively franchising in the United States. The brand’s nearly 60-year operating history brings strong consumer recognition, and its focus on fresh, hand-breaded chicken with a proprietary family recipe gives franchisees a product story that differentiates against commodity-level competitors.

Lee’s has earned USA TODAY 10BEST recognition as one of the three best fast food fried chicken chains in the country for multiple consecutive years, a consumer-voted distinction that reinforces local marketing positioning. Franchisees benefit from co-op advertising, national and regional media support, SEO, email marketing infrastructure, and the Famous Rewards loyalty app — tools that provide marketing reach at a scale most independent QSR operators cannot match.

Lee’s Famous Recipe Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1966

    • Franchising Since

      2003

    • New Startup Cost

      $517,200 – $2,353,900

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $35,000

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      50%

      of Initial Franchise Fee

    • Royalty Fee

      5%

      of Gross Sales

    • Marketing Fee

      3%

      of Gross Sales

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      126

    • New Units Opened *

      4

    • Units Transferred *

      1

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      $1,757,037

    * Based on 2024 data reported in the 2025 FDD

Lee’s Famous Recipe – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Lee's franchisees complete 382 hours of on-the-job training and 18 hours of classroom training at a Certified Training Center. Ongoing support includes field operations, newsletters, meetings and conventions, and security and safety procedures. Proprietary software and a franchisee intranet platform support operations management; marketing tools include co-op advertising, national and regional media, SEO, email marketing, and the Famous Rewards loyalty app. Buyers of an existing Lee's unit should confirm what transfer training and system access carry over with the resale.

  2. Ideal Owner

    Lee's is suited to experienced QSR or food-service operators comfortable managing a staffed restaurant and upholding consistent food quality standards. Daily operations require staff scheduling, kitchen quality control, and customer management; hands-on food or hospitality backgrounds are a natural fit. The franchise permits absentee ownership, making it accessible to investors with capable general managers in place. Prior QSR experience is a stated franchisor preference. Resale buyers should assess how dependent the unit is on the current owner's relationships and what transition support is available.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken ranked #430 in the 2025 Entrepreneur Franchise 500, reflecting its position as a recognized franchise within the competitive QSR segment. The brand has been recognised by USA TODAY 10BEST as one of the three best fast food fried chicken chains in the United States for multiple consecutive years, a consumer-voted distinction that supports brand credibility at the local level. For resale buyers, brand recognition contributes to customer awareness, though the individual unit's reputation within its territory, built through consistent product quality and service, is typically the stronger driver of local sales.

  4. Industry / Market

    The US fast-food chicken restaurant industry generates approximately $63.7 billion in annual revenue as of 2025, one of the largest US limited-service dining segments. Demand for affordable, convenient chicken meals has proved durable across economic cycles, with broad cross-demographic appeal. The segment is competitive, with chains differentiating on flavor, freshness, and value. Lee's fresh, hand-breaded product positioning targets consumers seeking a quality step above commodity fast food. For resale buyers, location quality, foot traffic, and local competition are the primary factors to assess.

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