Arby's vs Panera Bread: franchise cost side by side

Arby's is the cheaper of the two to open, from $868,550; Panera Bread starts at $1,337,139.

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.

Panera Bread starts at $1,337,139, the lowest cost to open given in each FDD.

From each FDD	Arby's	Panera Bread
Total cost to open	$868,550 to $2,456,600	$1,337,139 to $4,569,880
Upfront fee	$37,500	$50,000
Royalty (ongoing fee)	4% of gross sales	5% of net sales
Marketing fund	3.22% to 5% of gross sales	4% of net sales to the national advertising fund
Published sales	$1,274,787 a year (average of 2,182 locations, 2025)	$2,541,217 a year (average of 1,073 locations, 2025)
Outlets	2,344 franchised, 921 company	1,106 franchised, 1,108 company
Year filed	2026	2026

More comparisons with Arby's and Panera Bread

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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