Zaxby’s is gearing up for a big swing into the Denver area, telling potential franchise partners it could open as many as 30 restaurants across the metro and up to 50 statewide over the coming years. The Georgia-born chicken chain would drop its chicken-finger-centric menu and signature sauces into a region already packed with national contenders and local fryers. Franchise brokers say that kind of buildout would make Zaxby’s hard to miss in suburban shopping strips and along major travel corridors.
According to the Denver Business Journal, the company is pitching the Denver metro as a priority market, outlining plans to franchise up to 30 local locations. Reporter Jenna Barackman cites company and franchise sources who describe the scope of the planned rollout, and notes that Zaxby’s views Denver’s mix of students, tourists and airport traffic as an especially good fit for its menu and operating model.
Founded in Statesboro, Georgia, in 1990, Zaxby’s has spent more than three decades building a mostly franchised system while pushing into new regions outside the Southeast. Industry coverage says the brand entered 2026 with growth momentum and near-national reach, according to QSR Magazine, and corporate materials show it targeting new Western markets. Recent press releases spotlighting its entry into Arizona suggest Zaxby’s is actively courting franchisees for rapid expansion, including its Phoenix launch highlighted on PR Newswire.
Why Denver?
Zaxby’s has told prospective Colorado franchise partners it sees Denver’s transient population – tourists, airport travelers, college students, and commuters – as a strong match for its menu and late-night business, per the Denver Business Journal. The pitch leans heavily on Denver’s role as a regional travel hub and the constant churn of renters and visitors who might turn a newfound love of “Chicken Fingerz” into repeat demand. Brokers say that kind of foot and car traffic makes suburban and airport-adjacent locations especially attractive for drive-thru-dependent concepts.
Denver market outlook
Denver’s restaurant scene is still in high churn: the city logged roughly 300 openings and about 170 closures in 2025, a reminder that there is opportunity, but also plenty of risk for newcomers. As reported by Westword, many operators are shifting openings toward suburbs and travel corridors where labor and operating costs can be more manageable. Travel hubs are already crowded with national brands – Denver International Airport recently added Chick-fil-A and Shake Shack in a Concourse A refresh, according to Denver International Airport – meaning Zaxby’s would be stepping into a fiercely competitive airport and commuter market.
Franchise mechanics and timeline
Zaxby’s typically expands through multi-unit development agreements, working with franchise partners who commit to rolling out clusters of locations over several years. Recent franchising announcements, including regional development deals, show operators signing on for multiple stores at a time to speed market entry, according to Franchise.org. That playbook suggests a 30-unit Denver plan would arrive in phases, with site selection, permitting, and construction spread across multiple permitting cycles and hiring waves…