Taco John’s franchise
A Taco John’s franchisee operates a restaurant serving Mexican-style food through dine-in, takeout and drive-through service. At the end of 2025 there were 327 Taco John’s locations in the US, 316 franchised and 11 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $814K–$2.04M
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Royalty
- 5%
- Locations, 2025
- 327−45 in 3 yrs
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- On the SBA Franchise Directory
From TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL INC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Taco John’s franchise costs
Opening one traditional freestanding restaurant costs an estimated $814,400 to $2,039,250. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL INC, 2026 filing, page 25
Taco John’s franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL INC, 2026 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of net sales, currently paid monthly. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL INC, 2026 filing, page 16
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Taco John’s publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: 2025 average sales for specified restaurant cohorts; figures are sales rather than owner profit. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL INC, 2026 filing, page 69
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 357 (−4) | 7 | 20 |
| 2024 | 333 (−24) | 7 | 30 |
| 2025 | 316 (−17) | 11 | 19 |
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: TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL INC, 2026 filing, page 73
How Taco John’s compares
Of the 59 fast food franchises on this site, Taco John’s is the 37th cheapest to open and the 41st largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Taco John’s | Typical fast food |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $814K | $548K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5.5% |
| Closed or left per year | 6.5% | 2.7% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | −12.5% | +5.2% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 46 of 59 |
Typical is the median across the 59 brands in fast food franchises.
