Gyu-Kaku franchise
A Japanese barbecue restaurant where guests grill food at the table. At the end of 2025 there were 62 Gyu-Kaku locations in the US, 28 franchised and 34 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
- Cost to open
- $2.27M–$2.57M
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- Royalty
- 4%–5% in annual sales tiers
- Locations, 2025
- 620 in 3 yrs
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- Not on the SBA Franchise Directory
From REINS USA FRANCHISE COMPANY, INC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Gyu-Kaku franchise costs
Opening Standard restaurant costs an estimated $2,268,261 to $2,572,591. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: REINS USA FRANCHISE COMPANY, INC, 2026 filing, page 16
Gyu-Kaku franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: REINS USA FRANCHISE COMPANY, INC, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% on annual gross sales through $1.5 million, 4.5% through $2 million and 4% above $2 million. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: REINS USA FRANCHISE COMPANY, INC, 2026 filing, page 11
Sales and earnings
No figures Gyu-Kaku does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: REINS USA FRANCHISE COMPANY, INC, 2026 filing, page 40
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 32 (+4) | 33 | 0 |
| 2024 | 27 (−5) | 35 | 5 |
| 2025 | 28 (+1) | 34 | 1 |
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: REINS USA FRANCHISE COMPANY, INC, 2026 filing, page 41
How Gyu-Kaku compares
Of the 192 restaurant franchises on this site, Gyu-Kaku is the 183rd cheapest to open and the 108th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Gyu-Kaku | Typical restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $2.27M | $529K |
| Closed or left per year | 6.4% | 4.1% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | 0% | +5.3% |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 138 of 192 |
Typical is the median across the 192 brands in restaurant franchises.
