Arby's vs McDonald's: franchise cost side by side

Arby's is the cheaper of the two to open, from $868,550; McDonald's starts at $1,470,500.

Every figure comes from the brand's FDD, the disclosure file it must hand you before you sign.

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Arby's is the cheaper to open, from $868,550.

McDonald's starts at $1,470,500, the lowest cost to open given in each FDD.

From each FDD	Arby's	McDonald's
Total cost to open	$868,550 to $2,456,600	$1,470,500 to $2,642,000
Upfront fee	$37,500	$45,000
Royalty (ongoing fee)	4% of gross sales	5% of gross sales, plus rent to McDonald's
Marketing fund	3.22% to 5% of gross sales	at least 4% of gross sales on advertising
Published sales	$1,274,787 a year (average of 2,182 locations, 2025)	$3,964,000 a year (average of 11,972 locations, 2023)
Outlets	2,344 franchised, 921 company	12,772 franchised, 685 company
Year filed	2026	2024

More comparisons with Arby's and McDonald's

Every brand's fee, royalty and Item 7 range is also in one table you can download: the franchise fee comparison.

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