Brands that don't franchise

People search for a Starbucks or Chipotle franchise because the brands are famous and busy. But a chain can grow without selling franchises, by opening its own locations or by licensing them to companies that already run airports, travel plazas or overseas markets. Each chain below owns nearly all of its US locations, licenses them, or franchises only abroad or through partners it already has. Each has its own page with its sources and the franchise brands that come closest.

Chains and their closest franchise

Licensed, not franchised

Starbucks and Shake Shack grow partly through licensing. A Starbucks licensee pays the running costs and the cost of building the store; Starbucks earns a margin on the coffee and supplies it sells to the licensee and a royalty on sales, and says most of its licensees are prominent retailers with access to space it couldn’t otherwise get (Starbucks annual report, fiscal 2025). That is a deal for a company that already runs stores, not a way to buy a single shop.

Where to look instead

The closest franchise is usually a younger brand in the same format: a drive-thru coffee chain instead of Starbucks or Dutch Bros, a fast-casual burrito brand instead of Chipotle, a diner chain instead of Waffle House. Start with what you want to run, then compare brands on cost to open, royalties and how often owners leave. The largest franchises are the most proven, and the fastest-growing are where new owners are signing now.