Opening a crousty restaurant or adding it to your menu: franchise, price and delivery margin

What is a crousty, and where does the trend come from?

A crousty is a tray of rice covered with pieces of breaded fried chicken, topped with one or two sauces and often fried onions. It is made assembly-line style and eaten quickly, as a takeaway or delivered.

According to Time Out, the dish was born in 2012 in the suburbs of Bordeaux, then found its audience across France at the end of 2023. The Krousty Sabaïdi chain claims to have created it.

Demand shows in the platforms’ figures:

• Uber Eats: crousty orders jumped 323% between January 2025 and January 2026, according to an AFP dispatch.
• Deliveroo: two crousty dishes appear in its 2025 ranking of the 50 dishes that gained the most popularity in France, in 9th and 50th place.
• Customers: 29% of French people surveyed have already tried these fried or roast chicken offerings, and 72% of them are satisfied, according to an Ipsos bva survey from May 2026.

Franchise or your own concept: which should you choose?

A franchise brings you a known name, recipes and suppliers. In exchange, you pay an entry fee, then a share of your turnover. Your own concept costs less, but it starts with no reputation.

The networks are growing fast. In April 2026, Tasty Crousty was opening its 57th franchise and announced 66 openings under way, according to Pokaa. Krousty Sabaïdi reached 34 restaurants in 2025 and is aiming for 30 openings in 2026, according to its website.

Already running a snack bar, a kebab shop or a burger place? Adding a crousty to your menu mainly takes a fryer, a rice cooker and sauces. No entry fee and no royalty: just one more dish to handle in the kitchen.

How much does a crousty franchise cost?

It all depends on the chain, and few publish their figures. Tasty Crousty and Krousty Sabaïdi give neither their entry fee nor the personal contribution required: they share them with candidates, according to L’Express Franchise and Start Franchising. Here are the published terms of three other networks, checked on 26 October 2026.

These figures move. Checked on 26 October 2026, Krousty Factory’s listing on L’Express Franchise still states an entry fee of €25,000 excl. VAT and a 5% royalty. Crousty One adds an opening communication package of €5,000 excl. VAT. Crousty Game’s terms come from a single directory, with no date: ask the chain for yours.

Krousty Sabaïdi reports average turnover of €1.1 million per restaurant, according to AFP. Crousty One shows “€1M” a year, without saying whether it is an average. These are the chains’ own figures, not a guarantee for your location.

Before you sign, the franchisor must give you a pre-contractual information document at least 20 days before signing, points out Service Public, the French government’s official information site. Read it in full, and call several franchisees who have been open for more than a year.

What price should you sell a crousty for on delivery?

In shops in France, the tray sells for between €7.50 and €12, according to AFP. On Uber Eats and Deliveroo, you can show a different price from the one at the counter, but both platforms watch the gap.

Deliveroo compares your prices in the app and in the restaurant, and flags large mark-ups to customers. Uber Eats can use your in-store prices to measure your mark-up. Our guide to setting your prices on Uber Eats and Deliveroo details these rules and how to calculate your floor price.

Then see where you stand against your area. A €13 crousty surrounded by competitors at €10 will sell poorly, even if it is better.

How much do you keep on a tray?

Let’s take an example, with assumptions to replace with your own: a crousty sold at €10.90 incl. VAT on Uber Eats, 10% French VAT and service fees of 30% of the price incl. VAT. Your real rate is on your order form.

With this €6.64, you pay for the chicken, the rice, the sauces, the tray, the team and the rent. If you reclaim VAT, the VAT paid on the service fees drops out of the calculation, as our article on Uber Eats commission explains.

Beware of “1 acheté = 1 offert” (buy one, get one free) offers that you fund: you serve two trays for a single price paid. Your ingredients double, not your turnover. Do the maths before launching a promotion, with our method for knowing whether a promotion is profitable.

How many restaurants already sell crousty near you?

Run the test in five minutes. Open Uber Eats and Deliveroo with a regular customer’s address, type “crousty” and count the restaurants that come up. Note their prices, their promotions and their ratings.

The more of them there are, the more you need to stand out: a sauce, a portion, a price or a delivery time. Our method to analyse your competitors’ prices applies as it is.

Deliview does this price check for you: it compares each dish with the same dish at up to 20 restaurants in your area, on Uber Eats and on Deliveroo.

What rules must you follow to sell crousty in France?

Four points deserve your attention, because crousty also draws the attention of inspectors.

• Allergens: your homemade sauces often contain them. All allergens must be shown to the customer before purchase or before consumption, points out Service Public. For delivery, the simplest way is to write them in each dish’s description.
• Origin of the chicken: since a French decree of 13 February 2025, restaurants state the country of origin of all meats, poultry included. The rule applies to dine-in, takeaway and delivery, and also to meat bought already cooked, according to Service Public.
• Trays: expanded polystyrene boxes have been banned since 1 January 2021, points out the French Ministry for Ecological Transition.
• Hygiene: food hygiene training is compulsory in fast food and takeaway, and one trained person per establishment is enough, according to Service Public.

Inspections follow success. In April 2026, a crousty restaurant in Melun was closed by order of the prefect after temperature problems and a seizure of meat, according to Sud Radio. The chain denied these irregularities.

Is crousty a passing fad?

Nobody can say today. Dishes launched by social media rise fast and can fall just as fast, as our article on delivery trends in 2026 shows.

So limit the risk. Adding a crousty to a menu that is already running costs little. Investing €100,000 in a single product assumes the trend lasts at least long enough to pay it back.

Where do you start this week?

1. Count the restaurants selling crousty in your area, on both platforms, and note their prices.
2. Calculate your margin with your real commission rate and your food cost.
3. Test a single crousty for four weeks, on your menu or under a virtual brand.
4. Track your sales, your reviews and your preparation time in the middle of a rush.
5. If you are aiming for a franchise, ask for the pre-contractual information document and call franchisees.