Love & Honey Inks 20-Unit Florida Deal, AUV Hits $2M

Love & Honey Fried Chicken is stepping out of its Northeast footprint with a 20-unit development agreement in Southeast Florida signed on May 12, 2026, the brand’s first major multiunit deal outside the region. The chain now counts five units across Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, with four more slated for 2026. Early franchise efforts are paying off, lifting average unit volume from approximately $1.48 million in 2022 to $2 million in 2025, per Item 19 disclosures in the franchise disclosure document dated April 30, 2026.

Founders Todd and Laura Lyons built the company brick by brick, opening their first Northern Liberties restaurant in Philadelphia in 2017 after investing personal savings and 401(k) funds. Todd Lyons sharpened his culinary chops at Aramark venues including Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Stadium, then as a senior research and development chef at Campbell Soup Company. Those experiences shaped a chef-driven approach and a focus on quality hospitality.

Those experiences shaped a chef-driven approach and a focus on quality hospitality. Their mantra, “Better Every Day”, became the operating drumbeat. Efficiency is the edge. Systemwide wait times have been cut in half through equipment upgrades and process redesigns in both the kitchen and front-of-house. Knowing franchising is its own craft, the team brought in franchise development and real estate veterans to refine site-selection criteria, lease negotiations, and market analytics. In May 2026, Love & Honey tapped The Revolution Companies, a group with a proven track record in QSR expansion, to lead the Florida push.

The chain also moved to a seven-day operating schedule in March 2026 to better leverage fixed assets and capture more dayparts. The growth timeline is starting to lock in. The first franchise location opened in Newtown, Pennsylvania, in November 2025. A South Philadelphia unit came online on May 19, 2026. The first Northern Virginia store secured a Pinecrest Plaza lease on April 22, 2026. The 20-unit Florida rollout is slated to begin in the latter half of 2027, setting up a clear multiyear horizon.

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The founders are blunt about the learning curve. “My wife and I, in these early franchising days, quickly realized that we need help doing this and need some professionals who have done this,” Todd Lyons said. “We really surround ourselves with franchise professionals in development, how to manage franchisees and the financial dynamics, and also real estate.”

Their Florida partner is aligned on tone and tempo. Revolution Companies said, “Bringing the brand to Florida is a meaningful step in our expansion, and we are excited to introduce more communities to our chef-driven fried chicken, heartfelt hospitality, and commitment to quality.” Lyons added, “Those guys are aggressive and young, they’ve got a great infrastructure, and they’re really forward-thinking,” a signal of matched values and appetite for speed.

Chicken keeps drawing traffic. The U.S. chicken QSR segment posted 5.3 percent systemwide sales growth in 2025, ahead of the overall industry’s 3 percent rise, though growth has slowed for a second year. Over the past decade, chicken chain locations are up 46 percent. Love & Honey’s AUV now sits near Wingstop’s reported $1.956 million AUV in Q1 2026, while Raising Cane’s and Chick-fil-A reported AUVs of $6.3 million and $7.2 million. That gap highlights room for scaled niche players, especially ones positioning away from the crowded hot-chicken space and toward an elevated fast-casual experience with chef-driven provenance.

Questions remain as the brand moves into new markets. Maintaining product quality at scale is still untested for fresh franchise territories. Consumer interest in plant-based proteins could also reshape demand. A blinded sensory study of alternative chicken products found plant-based items approaching parity with animal-derived benchmarks in selected formats, yet still trailing in overall consumer acceptance. Franchise disclosure documents outline initial investment requirements and financial performance representations, but unit-level profitability or EBITDA margins have not been disclosed. Real returns will hinge on site quality and operator execution. The Florida build starting in the latter half of 2027 will show whether the “Better Every Day” engine can carry through rapid expansion while keeping speed, quality, and AUV momentum intact.