Restaurant franchises
The typical restaurant franchise here costs $846,000 to $2,381,275 to open. Sort the table by cost, fee, royalty or number of locations.
- Brands
- 59
- Typical cost
- $846K–$2.38M
- Lowest start
- $203KCharleys Cheesesteaks
- Share earnings
- 49 of 59
All 59 brands
Sort by any column.
| Subway | $263K–$630K | $15,000 | 8% | 18,773 | No |
| McDonald's | $1.47M–$2.64M | $45,000 | 4–5% | 13,457 | Yes |
| Taco Bell | $1.86M–$4.31M | $45,000 | 5.5% | 7,998 | Yes |
| Domino's | $231K–$744K | Up to $10,000 | 5.5% | 7,210 | 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 |
| Pizza Hut | $846K–$2.13M | $25,000 | 6% | 5,031 | Yes |
| Little Caesars | $377K–$1.77M | $20,000 | 6% | 4,374 | No |
| KFC | $2.11M–$4.16M | $45,000 | 4–5.25% | 3,490 | Yes |
| Sonic | $1.49M–$2.52M | $15,000 | 5% | 3,412 | Yes |
| Papa Johns | $281K–$890K | $5,000+ | 5% | 3,294 | Yes |
| Arby's | $869K–$2.46M | $37,500 | 4% | 3,265 | Yes |
| Popeyes | $1.22M–$3.92M | $50,000 | 5% | 3,229 | Yes |
| Jersey Mike's | $436K–$1.16M | $20,000 | 6.5% | 3,227 | Yes |
| Chick-fil-A | $318K–$3.46M | $10,000 | 15% + 50% of profit | 2,863 | Yes |
| Jimmy John's | $366K–$734K | $35,000 | 6% | 2,777 | Yes |
| Panda Express | $515K–$3.28M | $25,000 | 8% | 2,607 | Yes |
| Panera Bread | $1.34M–$4.57M | $50,000 | 5% | 2,214 | Yes |
| Jack in the Box | $1.91M–$4.04M | $50,000 | 5% | 2,136 | Yes |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | $276K–$771K | $35,000 | 6% | 1,651 | Yes |
| IHOP | $1.91M–$3.33M | $50,000 | 4.5% | 1,642 | Yes |
| Five Guys | $928K–$1.38M | $25,000 | 6% | 1,583 | No |
| Hardee's | $1.39M–$2.64M | $25,000 | 4% | 1,485 | Yes |
| Firehouse Subs | $405K–$876K | $20,000 | 6% | 1,291 | Yes |
| Chili's | $3.96M–$6.35M | $60,000 | 1.25% + 2.75% | 1,208 | No |
| Marco's Pizza | $286K–$811K | $25,000 | 5.5% | 1,184 | Yes |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | $2.46M–$4.9M | $25,000 | 5% | 1,178 | Yes |
| Culver's | $3.41M–$10.3M | $65,000 | 4% | 1,041 | Yes |
| Zaxby's | $1.45M–$3.81M | $35,000 | 6% | 969 | Yes |
| Church's Texas Chicken | $1.25M–$1.97M | $20,000 | 5% | 885 | Yes |
| Bojangles | $2.85M–$3.95M | $35,000 | 4% | 867 | Yes |
| Qdoba | $548K–$1.29M | $40,000 | 5% | 827 | Yes |
| Charleys Cheesesteaks | $203K–$696K | $24,500 | 6% | 826 | Yes |
| Outback Steakhouse | $4.26M–$9.04M | $40,000 | 5% | 675 | No |
| Del Taco | $1.5M–$3.32M | $35,000 | 5% | 594 | Yes |
| Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers | $855K–$1.3M | $35,000 | 5% | 580 | Yes |
| Moe's Southwest Grill | $644K–$1.97M | $35,500 | 5% | 568 | Yes |
| MOD Pizza | $1M–$1.3M | $30,000 | 5% | 552 | No |
| El Pollo Loco | $794K–$2.69M | $40,000 | 5% | 503 | Yes |
| Potbelly | $629K–$999K | $40,000 | 6% | 470 | Yes |
| Noodles & Company | $669K–$1.41M | $35,000 | 5% | 463 | Yes |
| Checkers & Rally's | $449K–$1.92M | $30,000 | 4% | 453 | Yes |
| Jet's Pizza | $573K–$786K | $30,000 | 12% of inventory | 450 | No |
| Dave's Hot Chicken | $824K–$4.12M | $40,000 | 6% | 358 | No |
| Golden Corral | $3.63M–$4.51M | $50,000 | 4% | 348 | Yes |
| Chicken Salad Chick | $777K–$999K | $50,000 | 5% | 326 | Yes |
| Penn Station East Coast Subs | $441K–$820K | $25,000 | 2–8% | 322 | Yes |
| Huddle House | $555K–$2.38M | $35,000 | 4.75% | 269 | Yes |
| Blaze Pizza | $757K–$1.3M | $30,000 | 5% | 230 | Yes |
| Pizza Ranch | $2.31M–$2.99M | $30,000 | 3.5% + 0.5% | 219 | Yes |
| Teriyaki Madness | $393K–$1.12M | $45,000 | 6% | 199 | Yes |
| Hooters | $2.74M–$4.7M | $50,000 | 6% | 194 | No |
| Smashburger | $1.24M–$2.26M | $40,000 | 5.5% | 172 | No |
| Quiznos | $214K–$649K | $20,000 | 5% | 139 | Yes |
| Twin Peaks | $2.25M–$5.75M | $50,000 | 5% | 103 | Yes |
| Saladworks | $484K–$678K | $35,000 | 6% | 84 | Yes |
| The Halal Guys | $418K–$1.31M | $45,000 | 6% | 81 | Yes |
| Jollibee | $2.11M–$4.59M | $40,000 | 5% | 81 | Yes |
| TGI Fridays | $1.36M–$4.52M | $50,000 | 5% | 80 | Yes |
Related lists
Bakery8 brands · typically $496K–$1.23MBurger11 brands · typically $1.39M–$2.64MChicken11 brands · typically $1.45M–$3.95MFast food46 brands · typically $701K–$1.97MFood86 brands · typically $552K–$1.36MIce cream12 brands · typically $359K–$702KPizza9 brands · typically $573K–$1.3MSmoothie5 brands · typically $276K–$771K
Restaurant franchises: questions
What is the cheapest restaurant franchise?
Of the 59 brands here, Charleys Cheesesteaks has the lowest estimated starting investment: $203,492 to $696,266 to open.
Which restaurant franchise is the largest?
Subway, with 18,773 locations (18,773 franchised) at the end of 2025.
What royalty do restaurant franchises charge?
Royalties on gross sales in this list run from 4% to 8%, with a median of 5%. Most brands add a separate marketing or brand fund fee.
Which restaurant franchises share earnings figures?
49 of 59 share sales or earnings figures, among them Arby's, Blaze Pizza, Bojangles, Buffalo Wild Wings.