Rusty Taco franchise
A Rusty Taco franchisee operates a restaurant serving Mexican- and Texas-inspired food and drinks. At the end of 2025 there were 26 Rusty Taco locations in the US, 25 franchised and 1 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $529K–$1.13M
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Royalty
- 5%
- Locations, 2025
- 26−6 in 3 yrs
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- On the SBA Franchise Directory
From Rusty Taco Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Rusty Taco franchise costs
Opening one restaurant costs an estimated $529,400 to $1,129,950. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Rusty Taco Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
Rusty Taco franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Rusty Taco Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly. Eligible franchisees may receive temporary incentive reductions. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Rusty Taco Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Rusty Taco publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: historical results of 24 of 25 franchised restaurants for the 53-week fiscal year ending January 4, 2026. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Rusty Taco Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 44
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 31 (0) | 1 | 4 |
| 2024 | 31 (0) | 1 | 5 |
| 2025 | 25 (−6) | 1 | 7 |
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: Rusty Taco Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 45
How Rusty Taco compares
Of the 126 restaurant franchises on this site, Rusty Taco is the 68th cheapest to open and the 91st largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Rusty Taco | Typical restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $529K | $484K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% |
| Closed or left per year | 17.2% | 3.6% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | −19.4% | +6.3% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 92 of 126 |
Typical is the median across the 126 brands in restaurant franchises.
