Brands · Sector
Restaurant franchise cost, unit revenue and closures
Quick-service and sit-down restaurants, pizza and sandwich chains. 58 restaurant brands with a current FDD, listed alphabetically.
Opening one unit of the 58 restaurant brands here runs from $203,492 at the low end of Item 7 (Charleys Philly Steaks) to $10,294,100 at the high end (Culver's). Where the franchisor gives one unit revenue figure (40 of 58), the median unit sold from $617,941 (Papa Murphy's) to $9,087,673 (Chick-fil-A) in its own Item 19 period. Three-year closure rates from Item 20 run from 0.2% (Culver's) to 38.9% (Steak n Shake).
Bands, not a ranking: each brand's figures use its own measure, sample, period and Item 7 inclusions, so no two are comparable on one number. The brand page says what each figure includes.
| Brand | Cost to open (Item 7) | Median unit revenue (Item 19) | 3-yr closures (Item 20) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applebee's 2026 | $3,870,004 – $5,822,933 | $2,822,904 | 7.2% |
| Arby's 2026 | $868,550 – $2,456,600 | $1,201,669 | 8.0% |
| Blaze Pizza 2026 | $757,000 – $1,297,100 | $1,225,848 | 29.4% |
| Bojangles 2026 | $2,851,880 – $3,951,200 | $2,125,407 | 3.5% |
| Bonchon 2026 | $1,000,886 – $1,306,126 | no single figure | 17.9% |
| Buffalo Wild Wings 2026 | $2,896,445 – $4,900,320 | $3,433,937 | 2.3% |
| Burger King 2026 | $2,039,200 – $4,730,600 | $1,593,606 | 7.4% |
| Charleys Philly Steaks 2026 | $203,492 – $696,266 | $743,169 | 10.2% |
| Checkers 2026 | $449,000 – $1,915,000 | $1,102,416 | 26.6% |
| Chick-fil-A 2026 | $317,521 – $3,463,155 | $9,087,673 | 0.9% |
| Chicken Salad Chick 2026 | $777,000 – $998,500 | $1,500,394 | 3.8% |
| Church's Texas Chicken 2026 | $1,252,400 – $1,970,300 | $1,065,581 | 10.2% |
| Clean Eatz 2026 | $307,500 – $733,500 | $962,325 | 21.7% |
| Culver's 2026 | $3,406,350 – $10,294,100 | $4,036,492 | 0.2% |
| Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill) 2026 | $1,510,100 – $2,550,100 | no single figure | 4.8% |
| Dave's Hot Chicken 2026 | $823,800 – $4,121,900 | no Item 19 | 4.5% |
| Denny's 2026 | $1,618,575 – $3,055,925 | $1,829,472 | 15.2% |
| Domino's 2026 | $231,450 – $743,500 | $1,355,068 | 0.6% |
| Donatos Pizza 2026 | $546,637 – $1,060,537 | $882,923 | 5.8% |
| El Pollo Loco 2026 | $793,750 – $2,685,500 | $2,087,969 | 2.6% |
| Firehouse Subs 2026 | $405,350 – $875,950 | $938,981 | 6.9% |
| Five Guys 2026 | $927,850 – $1,375,750 | no Item 19 | 4.1% |
| Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers 2026 | $1,586,334 – $2,802,000 | $1,820,745 | 6.3% |
| Golden Corral 2026 | $3,631,328 – $4,508,130 | no single figure | 7.3% |
| Hardee's 2026 | $1,385,000 – $2,637,395 | $1,294,442 | 15.4% |
| Hooters 2026 | $2,743,300 – $4,697,000 | no Item 19 | 20.6% |
| IHOP 2026 | $1,907,682 – $3,329,845 | no single figure | 6.1% |
| Jack in the Box 2026 | $1,909,500 – $4,041,500 | $1,830,083 | 5.6% |
| Jason's Deli 2026 | $1,706,691 – $2,516,291 | no Item 19 | 6.3% |
| Jersey Mike's 2026 | $436,176 – $1,162,228 | $1,305,850 | 1.2% |
| Jet's Pizza 2026 | $627,500 – $843,000 | no Item 19 | 0.8% |
| Jimmy John's 2026 | $366,200 – $733,500 | $955,639 | 5.0% |
| KFC 2026 | $2,107,575 – $4,155,000 | no single figure | 12.1% |
| Little Caesars 2026 | $376,500 – $1,769,200 | no Item 19 | 2.9% |
| Marco's Pizza 2026 | $286,477 – $811,186 | $832,403 | 8.0% |
| McAlister's Deli 2026 | $910,175 – $1,816,100 | $1,764,584 | 6.5% |
| McDonald's 2026 | $1,472,000 – $2,807,000 | $3,887,000 | 1.5% |
| MOD Pizza 2026 | $935,232 – $1,313,133 | no Item 19 | 25.6% |
| Mountain Mike's Pizza 2026 | $356,000 – $993,946 | $969,285 | 1.5% |
| Panda Express 2026 | $514,500 – $3,275,500 | $1,328,594 | 1.9% |
| Panera Bread 2026 | $1,337,139 – $4,569,880 | no single figure | 7.0% |
| Papa Johns 2026 | $281,485 – $890,267 | $1,043,433 | 5.3% |
| Papa Murphy's 2026 | $450,330 – $693,450 | $617,941 | 15.9% |
| Penn Station East Coast Subs 2026 | $440,600 – $819,700 | $779,031 | 5.0% |
| Pizza Hut 2026 | $846,000 – $2,130,000 | $929,232 | 10.8% |
| Popeyes 2026 | $1,222,045 – $3,923,245 | $1,785,736 | 4.1% |
| Potbelly Sandwich Shop 2026 | $628,938 – $999,371 | $1,195,243 | 17.8% |
| Qdoba 2025 | $548,100 – $1,294,000 | $1,596,761 | 8.1% |
| Schlotzsky's 2026 | $1,403,145 – $2,261,500 | no single figure | 14.1% |
| Smashburger 2026 | $1,239,500 – $2,255,500 | no Item 19 | 37.8% |
| Sonic Drive-In 2026 | $1,485,200 – $2,522,900 | $1,465,090 | 5.8% |
| Steak n Shake 2026 | $1,242,909 – $2,691,425 | $1,679,142 | 38.9% |
| Subway 2026 | $263,000 – $630,000 | no Item 19 | 13.3% |
| Taco Bell 2026 | $1,859,750 – $4,312,200 | no single figure | 1.2% |
| The Habit Burger & Grill 2026 | $1,031,500 – $2,864,500 | $1,915,000 | 7.7% |
| Wendy's 2026 | $1,580,457 – $3,105,000 | no single figure | 5.5% |
| Wingstop 2026 | $310,400 – $1,048,500 | $1,890,866 | 0.3% |
| Zaxby's 2026 | $1,460,000 – $3,810,500 | $2,783,862 | 2.6% |
Listed alphabetically, never ranked. The sector label is the site's, not the franchisor's. Informational only, not professional advice. Last reviewed: November 2026.