Famous Dave's franchise
A barbecue restaurant serving smoked meats and related menu items. At the end of 2025 there were 100 Famous Dave's locations in the US, 70 franchised and 30 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $435K–$2.87M
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Royalty
- 5% of revenue
- Locations, 2025
- 100−21 in 2 yrs
Compare with similar brands Estimate your costs
Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- On the SBA Franchise Directory
From FAMOUS DAVE'S OF AMERICA, INC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Famous Dave's franchise costs
Opening Restaurant; excludes ghost kitchen add-ons costs an estimated $435,000 to $2,865,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: FAMOUS DAVE'S OF AMERICA, INC, 2026 filing, page 38
Famous Dave's franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: FAMOUS DAVE'S OF AMERICA, INC, 2026 filing, page 32
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of revenue. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: FAMOUS DAVE'S OF AMERICA, INC, 2026 filing, page 33
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Famous Dave's publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: FAMOUS DAVE'S OF AMERICA, INC, 2026 filing, page 72
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 80 (−11) | 32 | 11 |
| 2024 | 76 (−4) | 32 | 5 |
| 2025 | 70 (−6) | 30 | – |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
Source: FAMOUS DAVE'S OF AMERICA, INC, 2026 filing, page 75
How Famous Dave's compares
Of the 171 restaurant franchises on this site, Famous Dave's is the 68th cheapest to open and the 76th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Famous Dave's | Typical restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $435K | $526K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% |
| Closed or left per year | 9.2% | 4.1% |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | −23.1% | +5.7% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 125 of 171 |
Typical is the median across the 171 brands in restaurant franchises.
