Franchise fee comparison: 83 brands from their FDDs
For 83 brands, this franchise fee comparison lists the initial franchise fee, royalty and ad fund, plus the investment range in Item 7 and the unit count in Item 20. A state franchise registry, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, holds each brand's filed FDD, and every figure comes from it. Starting fees range from $2,000 at Kumon up to $150,000 at Kiddie Academy.
The median royalty is 5.95% across the 60 brands charging a single flat share of sales; the other 23 use a set amount, a tiered rate or another basis, kept in the words the FDD uses.
83 brands
| Item 5 | Item 6, as disclosed | Ad fundItem 6, as disclosed | Item 20, year end | Item 20, year end | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee | $35,000 | 4.5% to 7% | 2% of weekly gross sales | $941K | $2.28M | 578 | 24 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Retail | $5,000 | No royalty | $6,000 during year one, then 2% of purchases from the prior year | $604K | $2M | 4,885 | 259 | Yes | 2025 | |
| Fitness | $42,500 | $842 a month | $900 a month | $539K | $905K | 2,271 | 11 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Restaurants | $37,500 | 4% | 3.22% to 5% of gross sales | $869K | $2.46M | 2,344 | 921 | Yes | 2026 | |
Auntie Anne's | Bakery and snacks | $35,500 | 7% | 2% of net sales (3% for street locations) | $158K | $836K | 1,236 | 11 | Yes | 2026 |
| Ice cream | $25,000 | 5.9% | 5% of gross sales | $307K | $627K | 967 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Pizza | $30,000 | 5% | 2% of gross sales | $757K | $1.3M | 230 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Senior care | $50,000 | 5.25% | $500 a month or 2.5% of net billings, whichever is more | $101K | $217K | - | - | Yes | 2026 | |
| Restaurants | $50,000 | 4.5% | up to 4.5% of gross sales | $2.04M | $4.73M | 5,518 | 1,132 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Coffee | $30,000 | 5% | No more than 3% of gross sales (2% goes to the brand fund now) | $898K | $1.51M | 144 | 350 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Chicken | $10,000 | 15% + 50% of profit | As much as 3.25% of gross receipts, not currently charged | $318K | $3.46M | 2,795 | 68 | Yes | 2026 | |
Chicken Salad Chick | Chicken | $50,000 | 5% | 2% of gross sales | $777K | $999K | 252 | 74 | Yes | 2026 |
Cinnabon | Bakery and snacks | $35,500 | 6% | 2.5% of net sales (3% for street locations) | $257K | $704K | 1,310 | 28 | Yes | 2026 |
| Convenience stores | $25,000 | 3.5% to 6% | 0.25% of gross sales, with local and national promotion fees added | $1.47M | $2.87M | 515 | 5,556 | No | 2026 | |
Comfort Keepers | Senior care | $55,000 | 5% | 2% of gross revenue, with a monthly cap of about $803 | $120K | $191K | 619 | 5 | Yes | 2026 |
| Bakery and snacks | $50,000 | 8% | 2% of gross sales | $849K | $1.47M | 1,101 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Fitness | $35,000 | 5% | 2% of monthly gross sales | $2.15M | $5.37M | 481 | 5 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Restaurants | $45,000 to $65,000 | 4% | 2.5% of gross sales | $3.41M | $10.3M | 1,034 | 7 | Yes | 2026 | |
Dave's Hot Chicken | Chicken | $40,000 | 6% | 4% of gross sales | $824K | $4.12M | 348 | 10 | No | 2026 |
| Pizza | $10,000 | 5.5% | 4% of weekly sales | $231K | $744K | 6,948 | 262 | Yes | 2026 | |
Dunkin' | Coffee | $40,000 to $90,000 | 5.9% | 5% of gross sales | $532K | $1.83M | 8,744 | 36 | Yes | 2026 |
Dunn Brothers Coffee | Coffee | $30,000 | 5% | 3% of gross sales | $449K | $728K | 39 | 4 | Yes | 2026 |
| Beauty and wellness | $36,000 to $45,000 | 6% | 3% of gross sales | $332K | $777K | 1,042 | 5 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Fitness | $60,000 | 7% (at least $2,500 a month) | $200 a month or up to 2% of gross sales, whichever is more | $362K | $858K | 707 | 2 | Yes | 2026 | |
Firehouse Subs | Restaurants | $20,000 | 6% | 5% of gross sales | $405K | $876K | 1,249 | 42 | Yes | 2026 |
| Restaurants | $25,000 | 6% | up to 4% of gross sales (2% now) | $928K | $1.38M | 970 | 613 | No | 2026 | |
| Bubble tea | $37,000 | 6% | 1% of net sales | $207K | $648K | 36 | 2 | Yes | 2026 | |
Great Clips | Beauty and wellness | $20,000 | 6% | 5% of gross sales | $188K | $420K | 4,441 | 0 | Yes | 2026 |
Home Instead | Senior care | $54,000 | 5% | 2% of gross sales | $93K | $351K | 626 | 8 | Yes | 2026 |
| Smoothies and bowls | $35,500 | 6% | 3% of net sales | $481K | $941K | 709 | 1 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Restaurants | $20,000 | 6.5% | Altogether 5% of gross receipts (across two advertising funds) | $436K | $1.16M | 3,201 | 26 | Yes | 2026 | |
Jet's Pizza | Pizza | $15,000 to $30,000 | 12% of inventory bought | up to 10% of inventory bought, for advertising | $573K | $786K | 394 | 56 | No | 2025 |
Jiffy Lube | Automotive | $35,000 | 4% | 1.5% of gross sales | $211K | $510K | 1,765 | 318 | Yes | 2026 |
| Restaurants | $35,000 | 6% | 4.5% of weekly gross sales | $366K | $734K | 2,737 | 40 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Chicken | $45,000 | 5% | 5.8% of gross revenue at present, dropping in later years | $2.11M | $4.16M | 3,404 | 86 | Yes | 2026 | |
Kiddie Academy | Childcare | $70,000 to $150,000 | 7% | 2% of gross revenue | $590K | $1.01M | 363 | 1 | Yes | 2026 |
Kumon | Tutoring | $2,000 to $3,000 | $38 per student a month | $300 a month new-center marketing fee | $102K | $234K | 1,705 | 5 | No | 2026 |
Kung Fu Tea | Bubble tea | $37,000 | 4% | 2% of gross sales | $169K | $378K | 344 | 2 | No | 2026 |
| Pizza | $20,000 | 6% (at least $300 a week) | up to 7% of gross sales for advertising | $377K | $1.77M | 3,788 | 586 | No | 2026 | |
| Ice cream | $25,000 | 6% | 2% of net sales | $355K | $477K | 249 | 0 | Yes | 2025 | |
Marco's Pizza | Pizza | $25,000 | 5.5% | 1% of net sales, with another 4% going to a national advertising fund | $286K | $811K | 1,139 | 45 | Yes | 2026 |
| Beauty and wellness | $45,000 | 6% | 2% of gross sales | $696K | $1.05M | 993 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
Mathnasium | Tutoring | $49,000 | 10% + $650 a month | $250 a month plus 2% of gross receipts | $127K | $166K | 1,043 | 4 | Yes | 2026 |
McDonald's | Restaurants | $45,000 | 5% (plus rent) | at least 4% of gross sales on advertising | $1.47M | $2.64M | 12,772 | 685 | Yes | 2024 |
| Cleaning | $55,000 | 7% | 1.3% of gross sales | $127K | $169K | 684 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Pizza | $30,000 | 5% | 2% of weekly revenue | $1M | $1.3M | 87 | 465 | No | 2024 | |
| Cleaning | $14,900 | 3% to 6.5% | 2% of gross sales | $144K | $204K | 432 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Home services | $42,500 | 6% | 2% of gross sales, with monthly minimums | $153K | $299K | 238 | 2 | Yes | 2026 | |
Nothing Bundt Cakes | Bakery and snacks | $45,000 | 6% | 5% of weekly net revenue | $475K | $994K | 771 | 8 | Yes | 2026 |
| Fitness | $59,950 | 8% | 3% of gross sales | $765K | $1.1M | 1,209 | 15 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Restaurants | $50,000 | 5% | 4% of net sales goes to the national advertising fund | $1.34M | $4.57M | 1,106 | 1,108 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Pizza | $5,000 to $25,000 | 5% | 6% of net sales | $281K | $890K | 2,832 | 462 | Yes | 2026 | |
Pet Supplies Plus | Pets | $49,900 | 2%, then 3% | Year one: $1,000 a month, then about 1.17% of gross sales | $520K | $1.82M | 498 | 231 | Yes | 2026 |
| Pizza | $25,000 | 6% | 4.75% of gross sales | $846K | $2.13M | 4,956 | 75 | Yes | 2026 | |
PJ's Coffee | Coffee | $15,000 to $40,000 | 5% | 2% of net sales | $523K | $899K | 167 | 13 | Yes | 2026 |
| Fitness | $40,000 | 7% of dues | 2% of membership fees (up to 3%) | $1.28M | $5.39M | 2,432 | 277 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Smoothies and bowls | $35,000 | 6% | 2% of gross sales | $282K | $1.06M | 342 | 30 | Yes | 2026 | |
Popeyes | Chicken | $50,000 | 5% | 4.6% to 5% of gross sales | $1.22M | $3.92M | 3,134 | 95 | Yes | 2026 |
Primrose Schools | Childcare | $50,000 to $80,000 | 7% | 2% of gross revenue | $5.02M | $7.96M | 557 | 0 | Yes | 2026 |
Right at Home | Senior care | $49,500 | 5% | 2% of net billings up to $1,000,000 in a year, then 1% beyond that | $94K | $176K | 566 | 6 | Yes | 2026 |
Scooter's Coffee | Coffee | $40,000 | 6% | 2% of net sales | $1.16M | $1.35M | 882 | 24 | Yes | 2026 |
| Home services | $100,000 | 3% to 10% | 2.5% of monthly gross volume | $263K | $386K | 2,354 | 0 | No | 2026 | |
Sharetea | Bubble tea | $12,000 | 6% (at least $1,200 a month) | - | $276K | $606K | 146 | 0 | No | 2026 |
| Chicken | $30,000 | 5% | 2% of gross sales | $1.19M | $4.94M | 204 | 11 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Restaurants | $15,000 | 5% | 0.9% of gross sales, with at least 3.25% more for local advertising | $1.49M | $2.52M | 3,120 | 292 | Yes | 2026 | |
Subway | Restaurants | $15,000 | 8% | 4.5% of gross sales | $263K | $630K | 18,773 | 0 | No | 2026 |
Supercuts | Beauty and wellness | $39,500 | 4%, then 6% | 5% of net service revenue | $186K | $323K | 1,701 | 100 | Yes | 2025 |
| Restaurants | $45,000 | 5.5% | 4.25% of gross sales | $1.86M | $4.31M | 7,335 | 663 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Automotive | $45,000 | 7% | 5% of gross sales | $912K | $2.05M | 432 | 710 | Yes | 2025 | |
| Childcare | $135,000 | 7% | 4% of gross receipts | $1M | $1.5M | 665 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
The Human Bean | Coffee | $35,000 | No royalty | 1% of adjusted gross sales | $672K | $1.53M | 176 | 12 | Yes | 2026 |
The Joint Chiropractic | Beauty and wellness | $39,900 | 7% (at least $700 a month) | 2% of gross sales | $254K | $521K | 800 | 135 | Yes | 2024 |
| Childcare | $60,000 | 7% | 1% of gross revenue | $806K | $1.56M | 436 | 29 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Cleaning | $60,000 | 3.9% to 6.9% | 2% of gross revenue | $118K | $141K | 394 | 31 | Yes | 2026 | |
The UPS Store | Retail | $14,950 to $39,950 | 5% | 2.5% of sales, plus 1% for local marketing | $114K | $413K | 5,487 | 16 | No | 2026 |
| Coffee | $50,000 | 4.5% to 6% | 4% of gross sales | $988K | $3.31M | - | - | Yes | 2026 | |
| Automotive | $50,000 | 4% | 1% of gross sales | $3.48M | $11.8M | 244 | 16 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Smoothies and bowls | $35,000 | 6% | 5% of gross sales | $276K | $771K | 1,650 | 1 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Automotive | $30,000 | 6% from year three | up to 2% of adjusted gross revenue, with a yearly cap | $192K | $640K | 1,063 | 976 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Senior care | $51,950 to $89,950 | 3% to 3.5% | $425 a month or 2.5% of gross revenue, whichever is more | $125K | $171K | 541 | 0 | Yes | 2026 | |
| Restaurants | $50,000 | 4% | 2% to 4% of gross sales on advertising | $1.52M | $2.99M | 5,552 | 381 | Yes | 2025 | |
Zaxby's | Chicken | $35,000 | 6% | 1.5% of gross sales | $1.45M | $3.81M | 826 | 143 | Yes | 2025 |
| Coffee | $40,000 | 6% | 1% of gross sales | $587K | $1.76M | 107 | 8 | Yes | 2026 |
Download CSV or JSON. The source is the franchise disclosure documents on file with the franchise registry at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Every row in the download links back to its FDD filing.
Franchise royalty comparison: how each figure is written
Every row reflects the newest FDD each brand has on the Minnesota registry, dated between 2024 and 2026; the FDD year column tells you which.
When a royalty or ad fund isn't a single flat share of sales, like the $842 monthly charge at Anytime Fitness or the tiered 4.5% to 7% at 7 Brew, the FDD wording stays as is and no percentage is calculated. Sort by royalty and the flat percentages come first, followed by tiered rates and then set amounts.
Item 7 gives a range showing how much the franchisor estimates it costs in total to open: the fee, build-out and equipment, opening stock plus working capital for the first months. Unit counts come from the year-end figures reported in the same FDD's Item 20. Where a dash appears, the copy of that FDD on the registry offers no usable number.
Left out are 7-Eleven, Smoothie King, Dairy Queen, Whataburger, Wingstop, Biggby Coffee, Hand & Stone and Dogtopia, since the figures for them are published on each brand's own franchise site rather than in a registry FDD; their pages say so.
The franchise fee, royalty, Item 7 and Item 20 explained
The meaning of every column is set out in FDD Item 7, FDD Item 20 and franchise fee vs royalty. Clicking any brand name opens a page for that brand with its FDD link, and from the home page the FDD database filters these same brands by category and starting cost. The franchise rankings by average unit volume rank Item 19 sales per outlet on a like-for-like basis.
Major brands with no franchises on offer
In the United States you can't buy a franchise from In-N-Out Burger, Chipotle, Dutch Bros, Starbucks, CAVA, Black Rock Coffee Bar, Shake Shack, Sweetgreen or Insomnia Cookies. With no FDD to compare, none of them gets a row here.
Want the fees in your agreement checked?
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