Brand Shoutouts
Brandon Gawthorp spent 20 years as a Wingstop franchisee. Then he built the brand he always wished he was buying — 20-plus corporate locations before the first franchise agreement, all-natural Halal chicken, and a Round Rock unit doing $3.78M in 2025.
By Justin K. Sellers · 10 min read · May 21, 2026
The Round Rock, Texas location of Urban Bird Hot Chicken posted $3,784,619 in gross sales in 2025. Round Rock is a suburb of Austin — a mid-size, competitive Texas dining market with aggressive chicken category competition. That number is not a brand press release. It is Item 19 of the brand's April 6, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document.
Brandon Gawthorp and Chantel Gawthorp did not set out to build a franchise empire. They set out to solve a specific problem: an empty end-cap, two pizza ovens, and $15,000 per month in rent. Five years later, they have nearly 30 locations across Texas, a signed franchise program, an acquired smashburger brand, and the most valuable thing an emerging franchisor can have — a proof of concept stress-tested in company-owned units before it was offered to anyone else.
This is not a story about a trend. It is a story about two experienced operators who built exactly the brand they always wanted to buy.
Brandon Gawthorp spent more than two decades as a franchisee. He and Chantel built a Wingstop portfolio to 32 locations across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi — from April 2002 to December 2023. They were not passive investors. They were operators — in the restaurants, managing labor, understanding food cost, and learning what a good franchising system looks like from the inside.
When they exited Wingstop, Brandon took on a fast-casual pizza concept — MidiCi. It failed. The end-cap was left with two pizza ovens, an active lease, and $15,000 per month in obligations.
In 2018, Brandon and Chantel visited Las Vegas and encountered Nashville hot chicken for the first time through a Bruxie limited-time offer. Brandon was not looking for a concept. He was looking for something good to eat.
"I didn't know what hot chicken was at the time, but I love spicy. I thought it was amazing."
— Brandon Gawthorp, Founder & CEO
He returned to Houston and went looking for hot chicken. What he found was one food truck with an hour-long wait. The end-cap was available. The ovens were compatible. The gap in the Houston market was visible. In September 2020 — during the first year of the pandemic — Urban Bird Hot Chicken opened its first location in Katy, Texas.
"I know that hot chicken is kind of a trendy thing today, and I think it'll stick, but I really wanted to focus on the chicken. I think it took me 60 experiments just to get the chicken recipe where it's at, and I think it's very good."
— Brandon Gawthorp
Sixty experiments. Not five. Not ten. Sixty. That number tells you how Brandon and Chantel operate.
Brandon holds the CEO title. Chantel Gawthorp is Co-Founder and President. Both are actively involved. The brand is veteran-owned and operated — an identity that appears on every Urban Bird location's signage and ordering materials.
In December 2024, Brandon also acquired Bun Slut — a seven-unit fast-casual smashburger concept in Texas — as the start of a planned multi-brand portfolio.
Urban Bird's menu was built during COVID. That is not background context. It is a design constraint that shaped every item on the board — and every item that is not on the board.
70% of sales are off-premise. That means the question "does this travel well?" is asked before every menu decision, not after. The answer shows up in what Urban Bird sells and how they build it.The kitchen foundation: - Chicken brined for 24 to 48 hours before hitting the fryer - Breading made in-house, lighter in weight, lower in sodium than conventional fast-casual chicken - Real eggs — not commercial egg wash substitutes - In-house sauces throughout the menu - Waffles cooked fresh per order - Fries engineered specifically to hold texture through a delivery window - Every location uses only all-natural, antibiotic-free, hormone-free Halal-certified chicken
In our view, the Halal commitment is the most underrated differentiator in Urban Bird's category position. It is not a marketing line. It is a sourcing decision with real supply chain implications — and it opens a customer segment that Dave's Hot Chicken, Raising Cane's, and Slim Chickens are not serving.
Signature menu items: - Hot Chicken Sandwich — hand-breaded brined tenders on a toasted bun with house kale slaw and signature sauce, available from Country (mild) to Fire in the Hole (maximum heat) - Urban Fries (Loaded) — the brand's signature side built as a meal with street corn, barbecue chicken, cotija, crema, and buttermilk ranch - Chicken and Waffles — fresh-cooked sweet cream waffles with brined tenders and house sauce - Chicken Tenders (Platter) — standalone tenders with choice of heat level and sauce - Sliders — smaller format sandwichThe spice level structure — from Country to Fire in the Hole — creates a reason for repeat visits. Customers level up. They come back to try the next heat.
No pricing is published in this article. Urban Bird does not publish a uniform national price list. Request current pricing at your local location or through the brand's ordering platforms.
Most fast-casual franchisors start franchising before their model is fully proven. Urban Bird made a deliberate choice in the opposite direction. Brandon and Chantel grew the brand as a corporate system — opening, running, and refining locations across multiple Texas markets — before offering a franchise agreement to a single outside operator.
[TIMELINE] September 2020 | First location opens, Katy TX (21788 Katy Fwy) April 2025 | 18th location opens, Grand Prairie TX; 11 more planned for 2025 Q2 2025 | 20th location opens; franchising program begins July 21, 2025 | 21st location opens, 1014 Wirt Rd, Houston TX July 30, 2025 | 22nd location opens, Deer Park TX September 3, 2025 | First San Antonio location opens, Stone Oak October 8, 2025 | Pearland TX location opens January 5, 2026 | 24th location opens, Killeen TX — former Schlotzky's February 2026 | Permit filed for The Rim, San Antonio (La Cantera) By April 2026 | Approximately 29 locations operating or under signed agreement [/TIMELINE]
The second-generation real estate strategy is worth noting. Urban Bird uses former restaurant spaces — end-caps and inline spaces with existing kitchen infrastructure — aggressively. The Killeen location replaced a Schlotzky's. This lowers build-out cost substantially and compresses time to opening.
Closure Note: The Plano, TX location (1885 Dallas Pkwy, Ste. 300) is permanently closed as of early 2025. Verified closed on Yelp.Urban Bird's franchise development team manages inquiries through their official website and 1851 Franchise profile. The brand requires hands-on operators — Brandon and Chantel have been direct on this in every public-facing brand statement.
Investment range: $236,300–$837,800. Franchise fee: $35,000. Royalty: 6% of gross sales.
If you're a multi-unit operator from a complementary category — QSR chicken, fast casual, high-volume delivery — or an operator with second-generation space experience, this is worth a conversation. Request the current FDD directly from Urban Bird Franchising LLC before committing to any discovery process.
Urban Bird's strongest markets have high review volume and consistent repeat-visit patterns. The FM 1960 Houston location has 262 Yelp reviews. The Spring location has 124. Round Rock has 110. The Katy flagship has 400+ photos submitted.
On the product:
Yelp reviewers at the Katy flagship and the FM 1960 Houston location consistently describe the experience the same way: fast service, fresh food, and a product worth repeating. The repeat-visit pattern appears across markets and time periods — not opening-week enthusiasm.
The Houston Press visited the Katy original location and described it directly: "Hot is the appropriate description here."
San Antonio's debut earned immediate positive local press coverage. CultureMap San Antonio described Urban Bird as "keeping the Nashville-style hot chicken trend blazing in San Antonio" and noted the "cult-like following" established at existing Texas locations.
Pattern: Repeat-visit language and heat-level progression appear across markets without prompting. Customers reference coming back specifically to level up their spice tolerance. The Halal designation drives a distinct loyal customer segment that actively seeks the brand out. These are brand-specific loyalty signals — not generic satisfaction data.The Nashville hot chicken category has moved past trend status. It is now a permanent segment of the QSR chicken market. But the category is also more crowded than it was three years ago. Dave's Hot Chicken has scaled. Hattie B's has expanded. Raising Cane's owns the tenders segment at national scale.
Urban Bird stands out on three variables that national competitors are not matching simultaneously: Halal sourcing, company-proven unit economics, and founders who built the model from the franchisee perspective up.
As Chantel Gawthorp put it at the brand's 21st location opening:
"We started Urban Bird with a simple mission: to elevate hot chicken to a whole new level and deliver the freshest and most crave-worthy hot chicken with integrity and boldness. That meant using only the highest-quality ingredients, making every order fresh, and crafting our own signature breading from scratch."
— Chantel Gawthorp, Co-Founder & President
The Texas white space is partially filled. The national white space is not. The first franchisees into new markets will have territory options that will not be available in 24 months if the system executes.
[DEEPDIVECTA url="/article/urban-bird-hot-chicken-deep-dive/"] Want the full story? - Unit economics reality: Two investment tables from Item 7 (2nd-gen $236K–$588K, 1st-gen $431K–$838K), full Item 19 P&Ls for all 12 locations - The full Item 19 picture: bimodal system, $3,904 bottom to $595,567 top, and what the delivery fee line means at 13–18% of gross - Supply chain analysis: Halal sourcing as a competitive moat and an open due diligence question - Customer sentiment deep dive: the full pattern including THE CHALLENGING - Who this concept is actually built for — and the exact questions to ask before you sign [/DEEPDIVECTA]
QSR Research Hub uses publicly available sources only. No brand contacts. No sponsored content. Every claim has a citation. The following searches were run on or before May 21, 2026:
- "Urban Bird Hot Chicken closed 2026" — returned Plano location confirmed closed. All other cited locations confirmed open on Yelp (May 2026). - "Urban Bird Hot Chicken news May 2026" — returned Killeen (January 2026) and San Antonio La Cantera (February 2026) as most current developments. - "Brandon Gawthorp podcast 2025 2026" — returned 1851 Franchise Meet the Franchise podcast (Q2 2025) and Restaurant Business Online (March 2025) as most current public leadership voice. - "Urban Bird Hot Chicken health department OR violation OR lawsuit 2026" — no results specific to Urban Bird. No regulatory actions found.
FDD Note. The Round Rock gross sales figure ($3,784,619) and all other financial performance data referenced in this article and the companion deep dive are sourced to Urban Bird's April 6, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, which includes full Item 19 P&Ls for all 12 company-owned locations. Prospective franchisees must obtain the current FDD directly from Urban Bird Franchising LLC before any investment decision. See the deep dive for the complete analysis.[FRAMEWORK_LIST] Item 19 P&L data for all 12 locations is in the deep dive. The brand's April 6, 2026 FDD includes full P&Ls for all 12 operational company-owned locations. The system is bimodal — see the deep dive for the complete analysis, including College Station at $3,904 remaining on $1.13M gross and Round Rock at $595,567 on $3.78M. Franchisee AUV data does not exist yet. The brand is new to franchising — zero franchise agreements have been signed as of the April 6, 2026 FDD. Franchisee performance data will only be available after franchisees have operated for a full year and a decision has been made to include it in FDD Item 19. The Bun Slut integration impact. Brandon acquired seven-unit Bun Slut in December 2024. As of publication, both brands are being franchised simultaneously. How that affects Urban Bird's operational support infrastructure has not been publicly addressed. Labor cost and turnover metrics are not publicly disclosed. Net profit margin is not disclosed. Any payback calculation is based on gross sales data and estimated margin assumptions. Supply chain concentration risk for Halal chicken is not publicly documented. Ask who the approved Halal chicken supplier is and what the contingency looks like in a shortage. Territory availability and exclusivity terms must be confirmed directly with franchise development. No national territory map has been published. [/FRAMEWORK_LIST]
Urban Bird Hot Chicken is featured in QSR Research Hub editorial content based on publicly available information. No compensation from the brand or its affiliates was received in connection with this article. All sources are cited and independently verified.
QSR Research Hub publishes independent, operator-first franchise research — cited sources, no spin, no pitch. Join a growing network of operators, investors, and suppliers who want the real picture.
Subscribe to QSR Research Hub1. Urban Bird Hot Chicken Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 6, 2026. Item 7 (investment ranges: 2nd-gen $236,300–$587,800, 1st-gen $431,300–$837,800; franchise fee $35,000; royalty 6%; BDF 1%; local marketing minimum 2.5%). Item 19 (2025 gross sales: $3,784,619 Round Rock top unit, $1,130,904 College Station bottom unit, $1,803,101 system average across all 12 operational company-owned locations). Item 20 (23 company-owned locations year-end 2025; zero franchised outlets; 6 projected 2026 openings). Urban Bird Franchising, LLC, 16365 Park Ten Place, Suite 190, Houston, Texas 77084. Tel: 281-574-2448. https://1851franchise.com/urban-bird-hot-chicken/info
2. PodServe.fm, Meet the Franchise podcast, Brandon and Chantel Gawthorp episode. September 2020 founding date, Katy TX. https://www.podserve.fm/series/website/meet-the-franchise,11053/216915
3. PodServe.fm, Meet the Franchise podcast. "In Q2 of 2025, the brand celebrated its 20th restaurant and began offering franchise opportunities." https://www.podserve.fm/series/website/meet-the-franchise,11053/216915
4. 1851 Franchise. "Urban Bird Hot Chicken Franchise: From Wingstop Operators to Franchisors," by Jim Ryan. February 3, 2026. https://1851franchise.com/urban-bird-hot-chicken-franchisee-to-franchisor-franchise-growth-2731367
5. Restaurant Business Online, Lisa Jennings. "The story behind Urban Bird Hot Chicken's acquisition of Bun Slut." March 10, 2025. https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/operations/story-behind-urban-bird-hot-chickens-acquisition-bun-slut
6. What Now San Antonio. "Texas-Based Chain Urban Bird Hot Chicken Expanding in San Antonio." September 19, 2025. https://whatnow.com/san-antonio/restaurants/texas-based-chain-urban-bird-hot-chicken-expanding-in-san-antonio/
7. RestaurantNews.com. "Urban Bird Hot Chicken Celebrates the Grand Opening of its 21st Location at 1014 Wirt Rd, Houston, TX 77055." July 21, 2025. https://www.restaurantnews.com/urban-bird-hot-chicken-celebrates-the-grand-opening-of-its-21st-location-at-1014-wirt-rd-houston-tx-77055-072025/
8. Urban Bird Hot Chicken official website. All-natural Halal sourcing; veteran-owned designation. https://www.urbanbirdhotchicken.com/
9. 1851 Franchise brand info page. 70% off-premise figure; corporate-first strategy; franchisee profile requirements. https://1851franchise.com/urban-bird-hot-chicken/info
10. Houston Press, Lorretta Ruggiero. "Checking Out Urban Bird Hot Chicken." 2023. https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/checking-out-urban-bird-hot-chicken-15465090/
11. RestaurantNews.com. "Urban Bird Hot Chicken and 19 More Restaurant News Headliners of the Past Week." April 21, 2025. https://www.restaurantnews.com/urban-bird-hot-chicken-and-19-more-restaurant-news-headliners-of-the-past-week-042125/
12. RestaurantNews.com. "Urban Bird Hot Chicken Announces Grand Opening of 22nd Location in Deer Park, Texas." July 30, 2025. https://www.restaurantnews.com/urban-bird-hot-chicken-announces-grand-opening-of-22nd-location-in-deer-park-texas-073025/
13. RestaurantNews.com. "Urban Bird Hot Chicken Heats Up Pearland with Grand Opening on October 8." October 5, 2025. https://www.restaurantnews.com/urban-bird-hot-chicken-pearland-texas-grand-opening-100625/
14. CultureMap San Antonio / AOL reprint. "Fiery hot chicken chain makes San Antonio debut in Stone Oak." September 3, 2025. https://www.aol.com/news/fiery-hot-chicken-chain-makes-133003069.html
15. RestaurantNews.com. "Urban Bird Hot Chicken Opens 24th Location in Killeen, Texas on Monday, January 5." January 5, 2026. Former Schlotzky's conversion. https://kdhnews.com/business/urban-bird-hot-chicken-coming-to-former-schlotzky-s-location-near-fort-hood-street/article_17522cf0-8a1b-4f2a-a637-658eda1da9be.html
16. Community Impact San Antonio. "Urban Bird Hot Chicken to open location at The Rim in San Antonio." February 19, 2026. https://communityimpact.com/san-antonio/north-san-antonio/business/2026/02/19/urban-bird-hot-chicken-to-open-location-at-the-rim-in-san-antonio
17. Brandon Gawthorp LinkedIn. Confirms approximately 29-location system as of early 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-gawthorp-00170523a/
18. Yelp location status verified May 21, 2026. Plano TX: permanently closed. FM 1960 Houston: 262 reviews, open. Spring: 124 reviews, open. Round Rock: 110 reviews, open. Katy: 400+ photos, open. https://www.yelp.com
19. Restaurantji customer review, Katy TX location. "Fast and fresh. 10/10 would recommend." December 2025. https://www.restaurantji.com