Lennys Grill & Subs franchise
2024 filing · June 28, 2024Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Lennys Grill & Subs at a glance
A sandwich restaurant serving grilled Philly cheesesteaks, subs and salads, with catering and drive-thru at some locations. At the end of 2023 there were 63 Lennys Grill & Subs locations in the US, 59 franchised and 4 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Lenny's Holdings LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Columbus, Ohio
- Typical size
- 1,400–1,800 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $280K–$574K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- $20,000 for a second and later restaurant
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- $7,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 63
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 59
- Company-owned
- 4
- Change in 2 years
- −12
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 12
- Most in Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi
Support and records
From Lenny's Holdings LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 140; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Lennys Grill & Subs among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Lennys Grill & Subs | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $426,694 | Costs more than 57% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 63 | More than 68% of franchises |
How much a Lennys Grill & Subs franchise costs
Opening one Lennys Grill & Subs costs an estimated $279,564 to $573,824. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are furniture, fixtures, equipment, Décor package & smallwares ($90,000 to $225,000) and leasehold improvements ($100,000 to $210,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | ||
| POS System, Kiosks System and related equipment | $12,564 | $16,824 | |
| Training | $2,500 | $8,000 | |
| Pre-Opening & Opening Marketing (over 3 months) | $10,000 | ||
| Insurance | $2,500 | $7,000 | |
| Deposits, Utility Deposits & Other Prepaid Expenses | $1,000 | $7,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $100,000 | $210,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, Décor Package & Smallwares | $90,000 | $225,000 | |
| Professional Fees (Attorneys, Architects, Engineers) | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Signage | $6,000 | $15,000 | |
| Additional Funds – (Three Month Period) | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $279,564 | $573,824 | |
Source: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, page 14
Lennys Grill & Subs franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000, $20,000 for a second and later restaurant. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| POS Network Connection and Software Maintenance Fee | $380 to $505 |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $7,500 |
| Additional On-Site Training at Franchised Location | $300 per day plus expenses |
| Local Advertising Expenditures | Currently 2% of weekly Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 10–11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Lennys Grill & Subs publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, page 39
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $720K–$990K
Estimated from the royalties the franchisor collected in 2023 at its 6% royalty rate, over about 58 franchised locations.
Source: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, page 140
SBA loans to Lennys Grill & Subs franchisees
Lenders approved 8 SBA 7(a) loans for Lennys Grill & Subs franchisees from 2009 to 2026, $2.54M in all. Of the 6 that have ended, 4 were paid in full and 2 were charged off. The other 2 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Lennys Grill & Subs compares
Of the 80 sandwich franchises on this site, Lennys Grill & Subs is the 32nd cheapest to open and the 28th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Lennys Grill & Subs | Typical sandwich brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $280K | $321K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $574K | $683K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $32K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 63 | 31 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 5.6% | 5.1% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | −16.9% | 0% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 50 of 80 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 80 brands in sandwich franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63 (−8) | 4 | 0 | −8 |
| 2022 | 56 (−7) | 4 | – | – |
| 2023 | 59 (+3) | 4 | +3 | 0 |
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: sandwich and sub franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, page 41
Where Lennys Grill & Subs locations are
At the end of 2023, Lennys Grill & Subs had locations in 12 states. The most are in Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi.
- Tennessee24
- Texas13
- Mississippi9
- Florida4
- Alabama3
- Arkansas3
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 23 | 1 | 24 |
| Texas | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Florida | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Alabama | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Arkansas | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Georgia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All 12 states
| North Carolina | 1 |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 1 |
Source: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, page 42
Who owns Lennys Grill & Subs?
Lennys Grill & Subs franchises are sold by Lenny's Holdings LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Lenny's Holdings LLC’s 2024 filing, page 6.
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: Lenny's Holdings LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 9
Lennys Grill & Subs filings
The figures on this page come from Lenny's Holdings LLC’s 2024 filing, issued June 28, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | June 28, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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