TravelCenters of America franchise
A highway travel center offering fuel, truck services, food and traveler amenities. At the end of 2025 there were 186 TravelCenters of America locations in the US, 33 franchised and 153 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
- Cost to open
- $8.08M–$54.1M
- Franchise fee
- $140,000
- Royalty
- Sales-based and per-gallon fees
- Locations, 2025
- 186
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- Not on the SBA Franchise Directory
From TA Franchise Systems LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a TravelCenters of America franchise costs
Opening TA Center costs an estimated $8,084,100 to $54,060,700. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: TA Franchise Systems LLC, 2026 filing, page 39
TravelCenters of America franchise fee
The franchise fee is $140,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: TA Franchise Systems LLC, 2026 filing, page 29
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | Tiered royalties on non-quick-service sales, 2% on quick-service sales and $0.01–$0.15 per gallon of motor fuel, with exclusions and inflation-adjusted thresholds. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: TA Franchise Systems LLC, 2026 filing, page 31
Sales and earnings
Shares figures TravelCenters of America publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: TA Franchise Systems LLC, 2026 filing, page 78
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 13 (+1) | 165 |
| 2024 | 14 (+1) | 167 |
| 2025 | 33 (+19) | 153 |
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: TA Franchise Systems LLC, 2026 filing, page 82
How TravelCenters of America compares
Of the 89 retail franchises on this site, TravelCenters of America is the most expensive to open and the 37th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | TravelCenters of America | Typical retail |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $8.08M | $191K |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | +175% | +4.8% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 67 of 89 |
Typical is the median across the 89 brands in retail franchises.
