Kelly's Cajun Grill franchise
2026 filing · April 1, 2026Growing
Kelly's Cajun Grill at a glance
A quick-service restaurant serving a limited menu of Cajun-themed dishes. At the end of 2025 there were 35 Kelly's Cajun Grill locations in the US, 17 franchised and 18 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1996
- 30 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Coral Gables, Florida
- Typical size
- About 750 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $295K–$1.4M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5.75%
- 5.75% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly, plus up to 1% to the marketing fund
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 1% of weekly gross sales
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 50% of the then current Initial Franchise Fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 35
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 17
- Company-owned
- 18
- Change in 3 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 15
- Most in Florida, Texas and Colorado
From Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Kelly's Cajun Grill among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Kelly's Cajun Grill | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $849,250 | Costs more than 80% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5.8% | Lower than 66% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 35 | More than 59% of franchises |
How much a Kelly's Cajun Grill franchise costs
Opening one Kelly's Cajun Grill costs an estimated $295,000 to $1,403,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 15
Kelly's Cajun Grill franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5.75% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly, plus up to 1% to the marketing fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 1% of weekly gross sales. |
| Transfer | $3,000 |
| Renewal | 50% of the then current Initial Franchise Fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from page 12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Kelly's Cajun Grill 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: Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 39
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1M–$1.8M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Kelly's Cajun Grill | Typical fast food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −5.6% / +6.3% | 0% / +5.6% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 6.3% | 3.7% / 17% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 11% / 13% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical fast food brand is the median of the 124 brands in fast food franchises with three years of counts.
How Kelly's Cajun Grill compares
Of the 309 fast food franchises on this site, Kelly's Cajun Grill is the 111th cheapest to open and the 127th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Kelly's Cajun Grill | Typical fast food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $295K | $353K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.4M | $786K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5.8% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 35 | 23 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 189 of 309 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 309 brands in fast food franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 15 (−1) | 16 | 0 | −1 |
| 2024 | 18 (+3) | 15 | +3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 17 (−1) | 18 | +1 | −2 |
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.
More in the guides: fast food franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 39
Where Kelly's Cajun Grill locations are
At the end of 2025, Kelly's Cajun Grill had locations in 16 states and territories. The most are in Florida, Texas and Colorado.
- Florida8
- Texas4
- Colorado3
- Maryland3
- Virginia3
- California2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Texas | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Colorado | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Maryland | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Virginia | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| California | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Illinois | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 42
Who owns Kelly's Cajun Grill?
Kelly's Cajun Grill franchises are sold by Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation.
From Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Kelly's Cajun Grill filings
The figures on this page come from Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Corporation’s 2026 filing, issued April 1, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 1, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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