Food franchises
The typical food franchise here costs $551,738 to $1,360,750 to open. Sort the table by cost, fee, royalty or number of locations.
- Brands
- 86
- Typical cost
- $552K–$1.36M
- Lowest start
- $115KKona Ice
- Share earnings
- 73 of 86
All 86 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 |
| Panera Bread | $1.34M–$4.57M | $50,000 | 5% | 2,214 | Yes |
| Jack in the Box | $1.91M–$4.04M | $50,000 | 5% | 2,136 | Yes |
| Kona Ice | $115K–$229K | $15,000 | $3K–$5K/year | 1,933 | No |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | $276K–$771K | $35,000 | 6% | 1,651 | Yes |
| IHOP | $1.91M–$3.33M | $50,000 | 4.5% | 1,642 | Yes |
| Five Guys | $928K–$1.38M | $25,000 | 6% | 1,583 | No |
| Hardee's | $1.39M–$2.64M | $25,000 | 4% | 1,485 | Yes |
| Cinnabon | $257K–$704K | $35,500 | 6% | 1,338 | Yes |
| Firehouse Subs | $405K–$876K | $20,000 | 6% | 1,291 | Yes |
| Chili's | $3.96M–$6.35M | $60,000 | 1.25% + 2.75% | 1,208 | No |
| Marco's Pizza | $286K–$811K | $25,000 | 5.5% | 1,184 | Yes |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | $2.46M–$4.9M | $25,000 | 5% | 1,178 | Yes |
| Crumbl | $849K–$1.47M | $50,000 | 8% | 1,101 | Yes |
| Cold Stone Creamery | $391K–$681K | $27,000 | 6% | 1,054 | Yes |
| Culver's | $3.41M–$10.3M | $65,000 | 4% | 1,041 | Yes |
| Zaxby's | $1.45M–$3.81M | $35,000 | 6% | 969 | Yes |
| Baskin-Robbins | $307K–$627K | $25,000 | 5.9% | 967 | Yes |
| Scooter's Coffee | $659K–$1.35M | $40,000 | 6% | 906 | 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 |
| Nothing Bundt Cakes | $475K–$994K | $45,000 | 6% | 779 | Yes |
| Jamba | $481K–$941K | $35,500 | 6% | 710 | Yes |
| Tim Hortons | $428K–$3.31M | $50,000 | 4.5–6% | 693 | Yes |
| Outback Steakhouse | $4.26M–$9.04M | $40,000 | 5% | 675 | No |
| 7 Brew | $941K–$2.28M | $35,000 | 4.5–5.5% | 602 | Yes |
| Edible Arrangements | $216K–$589K | $30,000 | 5% | 599 | 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 |
| Rita's Italian Ice | $315K–$713K | $35,000 | 6.5% | 578 | 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 |
| Noodles & Company | $669K–$1.41M | $35,000 | 5% | 463 | Yes |
| Checkers & Rally's | $449K–$1.92M | $30,000 | 4% | 453 | Yes |
| Jet's Pizza | $573K–$786K | $30,000 | 12% of inventory | 450 | No |
| Shipley Do-Nuts | $517K–$855K | $40,000 | 5% | 393 | Yes |
| Playa Bowls | $282K–$1.06M | $35,000 | 6% | 372 | Yes |
| Carvel | $428K–$1.05M | $35,500 | 6% | 360 | Yes |
| Dave's Hot Chicken | $824K–$4.12M | $40,000 | 6% | 358 | No |
| Golden Corral | $3.63M–$4.51M | $50,000 | 4% | 348 | Yes |
| Kung Fu Tea | $169K–$378K | $37,000 | 4% | 346 | No |
| Chicken Salad Chick | $777K–$999K | $50,000 | 5% | 326 | Yes |
| Penn Station East Coast Subs | $441K–$820K | $25,000 | 2–8% | 322 | Yes |
| Menchie's | $180K–$515K | $53,900 | 6% | 296 | Yes |
| Huddle House | $555K–$2.38M | $35,000 | 4.75% | 269 | Yes |
| Blaze Pizza | $757K–$1.3M | $30,000 | 5% | 230 | Yes |
| Pizza Ranch | $2.31M–$2.99M | $30,000 | 3.5% + 0.5% | 219 | Yes |
| sweetFrog | $327K–$692K | $30,000 | 5% | 203 | Yes |
| Teriyaki Madness | $393K–$1.12M | $45,000 | 6% | 199 | Yes |
| Hooters | $2.74M–$4.7M | $50,000 | 6% | 194 | No |
| Nékter Juice Bar | $230K–$645K | $35,000 | 6% | 193 | Yes |
| The Human Bean | $672K–$1.53M | $35,000 | None | 188 | Yes |
| Kilwins | $485K–$880K | $45,000 | 5% | 187 | Yes |
| Smashburger | $1.24M–$2.26M | $40,000 | 5.5% | 172 | No |
| Duck Donuts | $394K–$629K | $40,000 | 6% | 146 | Yes |
| Quiznos | $214K–$649K | $20,000 | 5% | 139 | Yes |
| Bahama Buck's | $540K–$1.19M | $34,500 | 6% | 116 | Yes |
| Twin Peaks | $2.25M–$5.75M | $50,000 | 5% | 103 | Yes |
| Saladworks | $484K–$678K | $35,000 | 6% | 84 | Yes |
| The Halal Guys | $418K–$1.31M | $45,000 | 6% | 81 | Yes |
| Jollibee | $2.11M–$4.59M | $40,000 | 5% | 81 | Yes |
| TGI Fridays | $1.36M–$4.52M | $50,000 | 5% | 80 | Yes |
| Maui Wowi | $121K–$609K | $30,000 | 15% on products | 75 | No |
| Pinkberry | $303K–$684K | $35,000 | 6% | 62 | Yes |
| Gong cha | $207K–$648K | $37,000 | 6% | 38 | Yes |
Related lists
Bakery8 brands · typically $496K–$1.23MBurger11 brands · typically $1.39M–$2.64MChicken11 brands · typically $1.45M–$3.95MCoffee6 brands · typically $596K–$1.68MFast food46 brands · typically $701K–$1.97MIce cream12 brands · typically $359K–$702KPizza9 brands · typically $573K–$1.3MRestaurant59 brands · typically $846K–$2.38M
Food franchises: questions
What is the cheapest food franchise?
Of the 86 brands here, Kona Ice has the lowest estimated starting investment: $114,730 to $228,601 to open.
Which food franchise is the largest?
Subway, with 18,773 locations (18,773 franchised) at the end of 2025.
What royalty do food franchises charge?
Royalties on gross sales in this list run from 4% to 8%, with a median of 5.5%. Most brands add a separate marketing or brand fund fee.
Which food franchises share earnings figures?
73 of 86 share sales or earnings figures, among them 7 Brew, Arby's, Bahama Buck's, Baskin-Robbins.