QSR franchise costs and what the work is really like
Across 83 QSR (quick-service restaurant) franchise brands we track, 77 disclose a minimum investment. The median minimum cash-to-open is $298,950, with disclosed totals running $20,000 – $4,906,000; initial franchise fees run $3,500 – $221,200. Every figure is FDD-derived — where a brand won't say, we print "not disclosed" instead of guessing.
Compare QSR (quick-service restaurant) franchise costs, brand by brand
What the work is really like
Quick service runs on dayparts, and the dayparts run long: breakfast formats open by 6 a.m., drive-thru formats close near midnight, and the money is made in two-hour rushes you staff for all day. Expect the owner to work opens, closes, and every no-show shift in year one — semi-absentee pitches and single-unit QSR economics rarely coexist.
It is the most systematized trade in franchising and the most operationally relentless: labor scheduling, food cost, and speed-of-service metrics measured daily, on your feet, on a hot line. The staffing shape is a 30-to-60-person part-time roster with constant turnover — hiring is a permanent process, not a launch task.
Multi-unit ownership is the stated path in most systems' economics; single-unit margins are thin by design, and manage-the-manager starts only when a second unit can pay for the first's general manager. Buildout is the number that varies most — an in-line counter and a freestanding drive-thru pad are different orders of magnitude, so anchor on a specific brand's Item 7, not the trade average.
QSR franchise costs, brand by brand
| Brand | Cash to open | Franchise fee |
|---|---|---|
| Sonic Drive-In | $1,485,200 – $2,522,900 | $15,250 – $17,650 |
| Papa John's | $272,915 – $989,415 | $37,915 – $79,915 |
| Panera Bread Bakery-Cafe | $633,000 – $4,906,000 | $35,000 – $220,000 |
| Church's | $1,114,650 – $1,636,300 | $50,000 |
| Charleys | $202,059 – $668,967 | $26,500 – $139,125 |
| Qdoba Mexican Eats | $548,100 – $1,294,000 | $40,000 |
| Wienerschnitzel (Limited) | $20,000 – $156,200 | $15,500 – $146,700 |
| Del Taco | $813,700 – $1,900,500 | $46,700 – $106,000 |
| Baja Fresh | $310,310 – $1,071,190 | $22,000 – $42,500 |
| Lenny's Grill & Subs | $332,030 – $455,594 | $25,000 |
| JINYA Ramen Bar | $1,385,500 – $3,044,000 | $73,000 – $93,000 |
| Romeo's Pizza | $190,800 – $640,500 | $30,000 – $102,500 |
| Famous Famiglia Pizzeria | $265,750 – $530,800 | $35,000 |
| Fat Shack | $183,250 – $487,600 | $44,500 – $51,100 |
| Paulie Gee's | $355,500 – $715,000 | $20,000 – $30,000 |
| McDonald's | $1,470,500 – $2,642,000 | $45,000 |
| Wendy's | $310,095 – $2,828,707 | $55,000 |
| Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | $1,222,045 – $3,923,245 | $54,755 – $149,545 |
| Hardee's | $1,375,000 – $2,637,395 | $57,000 – $97,000 |
| Carl's Jr. (Travel Center Locations) | $688,000 – $1,143,000 | $57,000 – $97,000 |
| Long John Silver's | $1,343,500 – $2,228,000 | $67,500 – $76,000 |
| Yogurtland | $267,820 – $479,070 | $34,900 – $55,400 |
| TacoTime | $343,650 – $787,800 | $31,000 – $61,000 |
| The Halal Guys | $542,025 – $1,459,425 | $94,425 |
| Great Wraps Grill | $159,500 – $485,500 | $22,500 |
| Sweet CeCe's | $222,000 | $37,000 |
| Tastee-Freez | $143,200 – $1,328,500 | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Thai Express | $494,050 – $814,200 | $34,000 – $42,500 |
| grabbagreen | $266,000 – $572,075 | $26,000 – $52,500 |
| Fuji Grill | $152,400 – $286,300 | $30,000 |
| Tom and Chee | $305,200 – $458,500 | $30,000 |
| Yeung's Lotus Express | Wok A Holic | $276,250 – $865,000 | $30,250 – $221,200 |
| Pedro's Tacos | $396,710 – $562,450 | $10,000 |
| Matiki Island B.B.Q. | $201,950 – $318,700 | $35,000 |
| Tastea | $368,300 – $804,500 | $80,500 – $134,500 |
| Jack in the Box | $1,909,500 – $4,041,500 | n/d |
| DQ Grill & Chill | $1,516,200 – $2,542,250 | $45,600 |
| DQ Treat | $549,100 – $1,604,700 | $25,200 |
| Wienerschnitzel (Business & Facility) | $49,650 – $135,000 | $12,250 – $73,000 |
| Wienerschnitzel (Full) | $20,000 – $156,200 | $15,500 – $146,700 |
| Wienerschnitzel (Express Full) | $57,800 – $249,700 | $6,000 – $56,000 |
| 7 BREW | $890,300 – $1,934,500 | $35,000 |
| Trimana Fresh Market | Trimana Express | Salad Got Soup | Taco Limon | Pasta Benne | Pizza Benne | $116,925 – $774,600 | $25,000 – $50,000 |
| Roy Rogers | $1,235,250 – $1,580,950 | $30,000 |
| TKK Fried Chicken | $375,000 – $698,000 | $60,000 – $65,000 |
| Mr. Fries Man | $258,000 – $516,000 | $35,000 |
| Wing It On! | $210,500 – $440,000 | $30,000 – $67,500 |
| Yogurtland (Travel Plaza and Big Box Locations) | $172,070 – $285,920 | $16,650 – $29,250 |
| Kahala Coffee Traders | $198,900 – $461,500 | $26,800 – $56,300 |
| Top Round Roast Beef | RED RIBBON CHICKEN | $298,950 – $821,400 | $35,000 |
| Chick-fil-A (Operator) | $426,735 – $2,339,525 | $10,000 |
| Chester's | $27,500 – $306,500 | $3,500 – $4,500 |
| Scooter's Coffee | $658,898 – $1,345,750 | n/d |
| Chick-fil-A (License) | $585,500 – $3,437,000 | n/d |
| American Deli | $295,000 – $551,000 | $10,000 – $75,000 |
| The Human Bean | $552,350 – $1,058,890 | $127,000 – $154,000 |
| bb.q Chicken | $380,000 – $793,000 | $99,000 – $193,000 |
| Aroma Joe's | $586,599 – $1,859,492 | n/d |
| Great Steak | $257,900 – $678,850 | $30,500 – $60,000 |
| Guthrie's | $231,050 – $569,200 | $110,000 |
| Samurai Sam's Teriyaki Grill | $289,900 – $632,300 | $29,000 – $60,500 |
| Spitz - Home of the Doner Kebab | $579,250 – $1,150,050 | n/d |
| 7 Leaves Cafe | $244,000 – $490,000 | $35,000 – $48,000 |
| Salad Farm | $270,500 – $550,500 | $25,000 |
| Espresso Americano | $234,525 – $410,400 | $30,000 |
| Ginger Sushi Boutique | $263,300 – $396,200 | $30,000 |
| Hardee's (Travel Centers Locations) | $688,000 – $1,143,000 | $57,000 – $97,000 |
| Urban Bricks Pizza Co. | $340,401 – $832,418 | $35,000 |
| Burger Boss | $554,160 – $815,050 | $50,000 – $95,000 |
| Fried Chicken Master | $239,000 – $381,000 | $95,000 – $105,000 |
| Go Go Curry | $289,380 – $876,800 | $35,000 – $92,500 |
| Los Pollos Bros | $244,800 – $532,000 | $34,500 |
| Padadak FNC | $222,000 – $443,000 | $50,000 |
| Roll Em Up | $278,700 – $795,500 | $20,000 |
| Vons Chicken | $227,000 – $468,000 | $35,000 |
| Crepe de licious | $177,950 – $977,600 | $40,500 – $45,500 |
| Wok to Walk | $346,000 – $823,500 | $50,000 – $70,000 |
| Sugarfire Smoke House | n/d | n/d |
| GGI | n/d | n/d |
| Nachoria | n/d | n/d |
| Zero's Subs | n/d | n/d |
| Ginger Ale's | Up to $669,900 | n/d |
| GOOD TIMES DRIVE THRU | n/d | n/d |
Each brand page has the footed cost ledger: fee, Item-7 range, royalty, and unit history — with "not disclosed" printed where a figure is missing.
Compare brands in this trade: Sonic Drive-In vs Papa John's — the two fullest data records here; swap in any brand from the table above on the compare page.
Red flags to check before any QSR (quick-service restaurant) discovery call
- Item 7's low number is not your number. Sales teams quote the bottom of the range; outfit your budget to the high end plus working capital.
- No Item 19 earnings claim? Ask why. If earnings promises appear in conversation but not in the FDD, that gap is the answer.
- Item 20 exits. Compare closures and terminations to openings over the last three years — our brand pages compute this for you.
- "Semi-absentee" pitches. QSR operations still need a manager; if it's not you, that salary belongs in your math.
- Litigation history (Item 3) and franchisee-association disputes — search both before the discovery day, not after.
- Validate past the reference list. Call operators the franchisor did NOT hand you, including former franchisees.
QSR franchise: quick answers
- How much does a QSR (quick-service restaurant) franchise cost?
- The median minimum investment across the 77 QSR (quick-service restaurant) franchise brands with disclosed figures is $298,950; disclosed totals run $20,000 – $4,906,000. Costs vary widely by format and real estate — anchor on a specific brand's FDD Item 7, not the trade average.
- What franchise fee do QSR (quick-service restaurant) franchises charge?
- Disclosed initial franchise fees among the QSR (quick-service restaurant) brands we track run $3,500 – $221,200 (median $34,950). The fee is one line of the total investment — build-out, equipment, and working capital usually dwarf it.
- How many QSR (quick-service restaurant) franchise brands are there?
- Our dataset matches 83 franchise brands to the QSR (quick-service restaurant) trade, 77 of which disclose investment figures. Matching is by industry plus trade keywords in the brand's name or FDD-derived description, so adjacent concepts can appear — we'd rather show the match rule than hide it.
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Every QSR (quick-service restaurant) brand above links to its full cost ledger — fee, royalty, and how its units have held up.