Hattie B’s Hot Chicken is owned by Nick Bishop Sr. and Nick Bishop Jr., a father-and-son team who opened the first restaurant in Midtown Nashville in 2012. The business is privately held, family-run, and has no outside franchise partners or public investors. If you’ve been wondering who owns Hattie B’s, the short answer is that the Bishop family still does, and they’ve kept it that way on purpose.
Who the Bishops Are
Nick Bishop Sr. spent decades in the corporate restaurant world before launching his own concepts, rising to a senior leadership role at the cafeteria-style chain Morrison’s Restaurants. That background in high-volume food operations shaped how he later built Hattie B’s.
Nick Bishop Jr. is a third-generation restaurateur, but he didn’t start there. He spent seven years at Oh Boy Records, the independent Nashville label founded by John Prine, before joining his father at Bishop’s Meat & Three in Franklin, Tennessee. Working together at that cafeteria, the two developed the hot chicken recipe that became the foundation of Hattie B’s.1restfinance.com. Nick Bishop Jr., Co-Founder, Hattie B’s
How the Ownership Is Structured
Hattie B’s is a privately held company. Financial data platforms identify it as family-owned and private-debt financed, which means the Bishops have funded growth through lending rather than by selling equity to outside investors.2PitchBook. Hattie B’s Hot Chicken No private equity firms or minority investors appear to hold a stake.
That distinction shapes how the business operates. Many fast-casual chains at Hattie B’s size eventually take private equity money to accelerate expansion, which usually means ceding some control over timelines and decisions. By financing through debt, the Bishops have kept full authority over the pace and direction of the company. The tradeoff is slower growth: 13 restaurants across Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Nevada over roughly thirteen years, with a Chicago location announced for late 2025 or early 2026.3Hattie B’s. Locations
Because the company is private, it does not trade on any stock exchange and is not required to publish revenue, profit, or other financial details.
Can You Franchise a Hattie B’s?
No. The company’s own FAQ states that Hattie B’s “remains a family-owned and operated business” with no franchise program.4Hattie B’s. FAQs Every location is corporate-owned and managed by the Bishop family’s central team.5Restaurant Business. Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
This is a deliberate choice. Franchising would generate licensing revenue and allow faster expansion with less capital risk, but it would also hand day-to-day execution to independent operators. For a brand built on a specific recipe and heat-level system, inconsistent cooking at even a few locations could damage the reputation quickly. The Bishops have decided the tradeoff isn’t worth it, and the ownership model reflects that.
Where the Name Comes From
“Hattie B’s” honors three generations of women in the Bishop family. Nick Sr. has said in interviews that his grandmother, his mother, and his young granddaughter all share the name Hattie. The name itself is a reminder that this is a family business, and the ownership structure has stayed consistent with that from day one.