Burger franchises
The typical burger franchise here costs $1,385,000 to $2,637,395 to open. Sort the table by cost, fee, royalty or number of locations.
- Brands
- 11
- Typical cost
- $1.39M–$2.64M
- Lowest start
- $348KBurger King
- Share earnings
- 9 of 11
All 11 brands
Sort by any column.
| McDonald's | $1.47M–$2.64M | $45,000 | 4–5% | 13,457 | 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 |
| Sonic | $1.49M–$2.52M | $15,000 | 5% | 3,412 | 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 |
| Culver's | $3.41M–$10.3M | $65,000 | 4% | 1,041 | Yes |
| Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers | $855K–$1.3M | $35,000 | 5% | 580 | Yes |
| Checkers & Rally's | $449K–$1.92M | $30,000 | 4% | 453 | Yes |
| Smashburger | $1.24M–$2.26M | $40,000 | 5.5% | 172 | No |
Related lists
Burger franchises: questions
What is the cheapest burger franchise?
Of the 11 brands here, Burger King has the lowest estimated starting investment: $348,400 to $4,730,600 to open.
Which burger franchise is the largest?
McDonald's, with 13,457 locations (12,772 franchised) at the end of 2023.
What royalty do burger franchises charge?
Royalties on gross sales in this list run from 4% to 6%, with a median of 4.8%. Most brands add a separate marketing or brand fund fee.
Which burger franchises share earnings figures?
9 of 11 share sales or earnings figures, among them Burger King, Checkers & Rally's, Culver's, Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.