Fast food franchises
The typical fast food franchise here costs $700,713 to $1,969,375 to open. Sort the table by cost, fee, royalty or number of locations.
- Brands
- 46
- Typical cost
- $701K–$1.97M
- Lowest start
- $203KCharleys Cheesesteaks
- Share earnings
- 39 of 46
All 46 brands
Sort by any column.
| Subway | $263K–$630K | $15,000 | 8% | 18,773 | No |
| McDonald's | $1.47M–$2.64M | $45,000 | 4–5% | 13,457 | Yes |
| Dunkin' | $532K–$1.83M | $40,000+ | 5.9% | 8,780 | Yes |
| Taco Bell | $1.86M–$4.31M | $45,000 | 5.5% | 7,998 | Yes |
| Domino's | $231K–$744K | Up to $10,000 | 5.5% | 7,210 | Yes |
| Burger King | $348K–$4.73M | $50,000 | 4.5% | 6,650 | Yes |
| Wendy's | $1.52M–$2.99M | $50,000 | 4–6% | 5,933 | Yes |
| Pizza Hut | $846K–$2.13M | $25,000 | 6% | 5,031 | Yes |
| Little Caesars | $377K–$1.77M | $20,000 | 6% | 4,374 | No |
| KFC | $2.11M–$4.16M | $45,000 | 4–5.25% | 3,490 | Yes |
| Sonic | $1.49M–$2.52M | $15,000 | 5% | 3,412 | Yes |
| Papa Johns | $281K–$890K | $5,000+ | 5% | 3,294 | Yes |
| Arby's | $869K–$2.46M | $37,500 | 4% | 3,265 | Yes |
| Popeyes | $1.22M–$3.92M | $50,000 | 5% | 3,229 | Yes |
| Jersey Mike's | $436K–$1.16M | $20,000 | 6.5% | 3,227 | Yes |
| Chick-fil-A | $318K–$3.46M | $10,000 | 15% + 50% of profit | 2,863 | Yes |
| Jimmy John's | $366K–$734K | $35,000 | 6% | 2,777 | Yes |
| Panda Express | $515K–$3.28M | $25,000 | 8% | 2,607 | Yes |
| Jack in the Box | $1.91M–$4.04M | $50,000 | 5% | 2,136 | Yes |
| Five Guys | $928K–$1.38M | $25,000 | 6% | 1,583 | No |
| Hardee's | $1.39M–$2.64M | $25,000 | 4% | 1,485 | Yes |
| Firehouse Subs | $405K–$876K | $20,000 | 6% | 1,291 | Yes |
| Marco's Pizza | $286K–$811K | $25,000 | 5.5% | 1,184 | Yes |
| Culver's | $3.41M–$10.3M | $65,000 | 4% | 1,041 | Yes |
| Zaxby's | $1.45M–$3.81M | $35,000 | 6% | 969 | Yes |
| Church's Texas Chicken | $1.25M–$1.97M | $20,000 | 5% | 885 | Yes |
| Bojangles | $2.85M–$3.95M | $35,000 | 4% | 867 | Yes |
| Qdoba | $548K–$1.29M | $40,000 | 5% | 827 | Yes |
| Charleys Cheesesteaks | $203K–$696K | $24,500 | 6% | 826 | Yes |
| Tim Hortons | $428K–$3.31M | $50,000 | 4.5–6% | 693 | Yes |
| Del Taco | $1.5M–$3.32M | $35,000 | 5% | 594 | Yes |
| Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers | $855K–$1.3M | $35,000 | 5% | 580 | Yes |
| Moe's Southwest Grill | $644K–$1.97M | $35,500 | 5% | 568 | Yes |
| MOD Pizza | $1M–$1.3M | $30,000 | 5% | 552 | No |
| El Pollo Loco | $794K–$2.69M | $40,000 | 5% | 503 | Yes |
| Potbelly | $629K–$999K | $40,000 | 6% | 470 | Yes |
| Checkers & Rally's | $449K–$1.92M | $30,000 | 4% | 453 | Yes |
| Jet's Pizza | $573K–$786K | $30,000 | 12% of inventory | 450 | No |
| Dave's Hot Chicken | $824K–$4.12M | $40,000 | 6% | 358 | No |
| Penn Station East Coast Subs | $441K–$820K | $25,000 | 2–8% | 322 | Yes |
| Blaze Pizza | $757K–$1.3M | $30,000 | 5% | 230 | Yes |
| Teriyaki Madness | $393K–$1.12M | $45,000 | 6% | 199 | Yes |
| Smashburger | $1.24M–$2.26M | $40,000 | 5.5% | 172 | No |
| Quiznos | $214K–$649K | $20,000 | 5% | 139 | Yes |
| The Halal Guys | $418K–$1.31M | $45,000 | 6% | 81 | Yes |
| Jollibee | $2.11M–$4.59M | $40,000 | 5% | 81 | Yes |
Related lists
Bakery8 brands · typically $496K–$1.23MBurger11 brands · typically $1.39M–$2.64MChicken11 brands · typically $1.45M–$3.95MCoffee6 brands · typically $596K–$1.68MFood86 brands · typically $552K–$1.36MIce cream12 brands · typically $359K–$702KPizza9 brands · typically $573K–$1.3MRestaurant59 brands · typically $846K–$2.38M
Fast food franchises: questions
What is the cheapest fast food franchise?
Of the 46 brands here, Charleys Cheesesteaks has the lowest estimated starting investment: $203,492 to $696,266 to open.
Which fast food franchise is the largest?
Subway, with 18,773 locations (18,773 franchised) at the end of 2025.
What royalty do fast food franchises charge?
Royalties on gross sales in this list run from 4% to 8%, with a median of 5%. Most brands add a separate marketing or brand fund fee.
Which fast food franchises share earnings figures?
39 of 46 share sales or earnings figures, among them Arby's, Blaze Pizza, Bojangles, Burger King.