Lists of the best restaurant franchises are mostly written by brokers paid by the brands, or rank chains by total sales, which rewards size rather than how owners do. This ranking applies the five tests of our best franchises to own ranking to every restaurant, fast food, coffee, dessert and bakery brand on the food franchise list, using each brand’s locations, openings and closures from 2023 to 2025.
A brand passes when it grew, lost no more franchised locations a year than the typical franchise of any kind (3.0%), publishes sales or earnings figures, is on the SBA Franchise Directory and had at least 100 US locations three years ago. Brands that pass are ranked by fewest exits.
The best restaurant franchises to own
Nothing Bundt Cakes leads: under 0.1% of its franchised locations closed or left a year while it grew 64% to 779. Sales are the yearly average (or median) per location from the brand’s own filing, where it gives a comparable figure; they are sales before costs, not what an owner keeps.
| Brand | Growth | Exits a year | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing Bundt Cakes#1 · Bakery · $475K–$994KSales $1.48M | +64% | under 0.1% | $1.48M |
| Culver's#2 · Burger · $3.41M–$10.3MSales $4.14M | +17% | under 0.1% | $4.14M |
| Domino's#3 · Pizza · $231K–$744KSales n/a | +7.2% | 0.2% | n/a |
| Jersey Mike's#4 · Sandwich · $436K–$1.16MSales $1.37M | +35% | 0.3% | $1.37M |
| Taco Bell#5 · Mexican food · $1.86M–$4.31MSales n/a | +6.4% | 0.4% | n/a |
| Mountain Mike's Pizza#6 · Pizza · $356K–$994KSales $1.01M | +21% | 0.5% | $1.01M |
| Panda Express#7 · Fast food · $515K–$3.28MSales $1.72M | +11% | 0.6% | $1.72M |
| Playa Bowls#8 · Smoothie · $282K–$1.06MSales $1.12M | +128% | 0.7% | $1.12M |
| Cold Stone Creamery#9 · Ice cream · $391K–$681KSales $604K | +16% | 0.8% | $604K |
| Paris Baguette#10 · Bakery · $728K–$1.86MSales $3.05M | +128% | 0.8% | $3.05M |
| Crumbl#11 · Bakery · $849K–$1.47MSales $1.14M | +60% | 0.9% | $1.14M |
| Chicken Salad Chick#12 · Restaurant · $777K–$999KSales $1.5M | +46% | 1.0% | $1.5M |
| Bojangles#13 · Chicken · $2.85M–$3.95MSales $2.46M | +9.5% | 1.1% | $2.46M |
| Popeyes#14 · Chicken · $1.22M–$3.92MSales $1.89M | +9.6% | 1.3% | $1.89M |
| Dunkin'#15 · Donut · $532K–$1.83MSales $1.37M | +8.2% | 1.4% | $1.37M |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe#16 · Smoothie · $276K–$771KSales $978K | +38% | 1.4% | $978K |
| Shipley Do-Nuts#17 · Donut · $517K–$855KSales $933K | +17% | 1.6% | $933K |
| Jimmy John's#18 · Sandwich · $366K–$734KSales $1.01M | +5.3% | 1.6% | $1.01M |
| Penn Station East Coast Subs#19 · Sandwich · $441K–$820KSales $822K | +0.9% | 1.7% | $822K |
| Papa Johns#20 · Pizza · $281K–$890KSales $1.1M | +3.6% | 1.7% | $1.1M |
| Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers#21 · Burger · $855K–$1.3MSales $1.86M | +27% | 1.8% | $1.86M |
| Philly Pretzel Factory#22 · Bakery · $430K–$685KSales $617K | +9.3% | 2.0% | $617K |
| Kilwins#23 · Ice cream · $485K–$880KSales $952K | +26% | 2.0% | $952K |
| Pizza Ranch#24 · Pizza · $2.31M–$2.99MSales $2.13M | +3.8% | 2.1% | $2.13M |
| McAlister's Deli#25 · Sandwich · $910K–$1.82MSales $1.87M | +9.2% | 2.1% | $1.87M |
| Qdoba#26 · Mexican food · $548K–$1.29MSales $1.7M | +13% | 2.1% | $1.7M |
| Bahama Buck's#27 · Ice cream · $540K–$1.19MSales $516K | +3.6% | 2.1% | $516K |
| Firehouse Subs#28 · Sandwich · $405K–$876KSales $974K | +8.8% | 2.2% | $974K |
| Scooter's Coffee#29 · Coffee · $659K–$1.35MSales $1M | +63% | 2.2% | $1M |
| Tim Hortons#30 · Bakery · $428K–$3.31MSales n/a | +9% | 2.3% | n/a |
| Panera Bread#31 · Bakery · $1.34M–$4.57MSales $2.54M | +5.7% | 2.3% | $2.54M |
| Bruster's Real Ice Cream#32 · Ice cream · $1.22M–$2.67MSales $747K | +18% | 2.3% | $747K |
| bb.q Chicken#33 · Chicken · $497K–$1.06MSales $1.04M | +84% | 2.4% | $1.04M |
| Marco's Pizza#34 · Pizza · $286K–$811KSales $878K | +11% | 2.5% | $878K |
| Black Bear Diner#35 · Breakfast · $1.5M–$2.24MSales $2.82M | +10% | 2.5% | $2.82M |
| Potbelly#36 · Sandwich · $629K–$999KSales $1.34M | +9.6% | 3.0% | $1.34M |
Best by kind of food
The best choice depends on the kind of restaurant you want to run. For each kind of food with at least three scored brands: how many pass, the top-ranked brand and the best-known brand that missed by one test.
| Kind of food | Pass | Top ranked | Closest miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast foodTop: Culver's | 17 of 83 | Culver's | Five Guys (no earnings figures) |
| BakeryTop: Nothing Bundt Cakes | 8 of 36 | Nothing Bundt Cakes | Duck Donuts (more exits) |
| Ice creamTop: Culver's | 6 of 32 | Culver's | Kona Ice (no earnings figures) |
| SandwichTop: Jersey Mike's | 6 of 23 | Jersey Mike's | Arby's (shrank) |
| PizzaTop: Domino's | 5 of 31 | Domino's | Little Caesars (no earnings figures) |
| CoffeeTop: Paris Baguette | 4 of 33 | Paris Baguette | 7 Brew (under 100 locations) |
| ChickenTop: Bojangles | 3 of 32 | Bojangles | Chick-fil-A (not SBA listed) |
| SmoothieTop: Playa Bowls | 2 of 23 | Playa Bowls | Nékter Juice Bar (more exits) |
| BurgerTop: Culver's | 2 of 19 | Culver's | Five Guys (no earnings figures) |
| Mexican foodTop: Taco Bell | 2 of 12 | Taco Bell | Café Mexicali (under 100 locations) |
| DonutTop: Dunkin' | 2 of 5 | Dunkin' | Duck Donuts (more exits) |
| BreakfastTop: Black Bear Diner | 1 of 16 | Black Bear Diner | IHOP (shrank) |
| Bubble teaNone pass | 0 of 18 | None | Gong cha (under 100 locations) |
| Frozen yogurtNone pass | 0 of 6 | None | None |
A brand can count in more than one row: a burger chain that sells frozen custard is both burger and ice cream. Each industry list also shows its own best-to-own brands, with every brand’s costs and sales side by side.
By budget
Grouped by the low end of the cost to open. A restaurant’s cost is mostly the building: a counter in a strip mall costs a fraction of a drive-thru on its own lot.
Under $250K
- Domino's#3, from $231K
$250K to $1M
- Nothing Bundt Cakes#1, from $475K
- Jersey Mike's#4, from $436K
- Mountain Mike's Pizza#6, from $356K
- Panda Express#7, from $515K
- Playa Bowls#8, from $282K
- Cold Stone Creamery#9, from $391K
- Paris Baguette#10, from $728K
- Crumbl#11, from $849K
Over $1M
- Culver's#2, from $3.41M
- Taco Bell#5, from $1.86M
- Bojangles#13, from $2.85M
- Popeyes#14, from $1.22M
- Pizza Ranch#24, from $2.31M
- Panera Bread#31, from $1.34M
- Bruster's Real Ice Cream#32, from $1.22M
- Black Bear Diner#35, from $1.5M
Well-known brands that missed one test
Missing one test doesn’t make a brand a poor choice; it tells you which question to press hardest before you buy. Five Guys, Little Caesars and Kona Ice publish no sales figures, so you would have to build a forecast from owner calls alone. Burger King, Sonic and Jack in the Box had fewer US locations at the end of the three years than at the start.
| Brand | Missed | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Five GuysBurger · $928K–$1.38MMissed shares earnings | Shares earnings | publishes no sales or earnings figures |
| Chick-fil-AChicken · $318K–$3.46MMissed sba listed | SBA listed | not on the SBA Franchise Directory |
| 7 BrewCoffee · $941K–$2.28MMissed proven | Proven | 40 US locations three years ago |
| Little CaesarsPizza · $377K–$1.77MMissed shares earnings | Shares earnings | publishes no sales or earnings figures |
| WingstopChicken · $310K–$1.05MMissed sba listed | SBA listed | not on the SBA Franchise Directory |
| Burger KingBurger · $348K–$4.73MMissed grew | Grew | shrank 5.6% over three years |
| SonicBurger · $1.49M–$2.52MMissed grew | Grew | shrank 3.8% over three years |
| Kona IceIce cream · $115K–$229KMissed shares earnings | Shares earnings | publishes no sales or earnings figures |
| Jack in the BoxBurger · $1.91M–$4.04MMissed grew | Grew | shrank 2% over three years |
| Duck DonutsDonut · $394K–$629KMissed few exits | Few exits | 10.6% of locations exited each year |
| IHOPBreakfast · $1.91M–$3.33MMissed grew | Grew | shrank 0.2% over three years |
| CinnabonBakery · $257K–$704KMissed few exits | Few exits | 3.4% of locations exited each year |
Choosing a restaurant franchise
Start with the site and the hours. Most of a restaurant’s cost and risk is the lease: a drive-thru pad, a mall food court and a strip-mall counter are different businesses with different rents, even under one brand. Then the staff: a full-service restaurant needs dozens of hourly employees and a manager on every shift, while a dessert or coffee counter can run with a handful.
Then check the brand’s figures against what owners tell you. Ask current owners what share of the average their location reaches, how long it took to break even and what the franchisor charges beyond the royalty: technology fees, required suppliers and remodels every few years add up. The cost calculator turns a brand’s estimate into cash, loan and monthly payment, and the fast food cost guide shows where the money goes.
Questions
Why isn't McDonald's on the list?
McDonald's isn't scored because its latest filing ends in a different year from most, so its record can't be measured over the same three years as the other brands. Jollibee and Buffalo Wild Wings can't be scored either. Leaving a brand out says nothing about how it is doing; its own page shows the figures its filing gives. McDonald's franchise costs
What is the cheapest restaurant franchise to open?
Among food brands with at least 20 US locations, Bimbo Bakeries Distribution starts lowest, at $14K. The cheapest ways into food are kiosks, carts and counters inside other businesses, which skip most of the kitchen and dining-room build-out a full restaurant needs. Cheap restaurant franchises
Which restaurant franchise sells the most per location?
Chick-fil-A reports the highest yearly sales per location of any food brand here, about $9.16M (average, 2025), followed by Twin Peaks at $5.8M and Golden Corral at $4.92M. High sales usually come with a large building, long hours and a big staff, so weigh them against each brand's cost to open and royalty. Sales per location by brand