McDonald's vs Sonic Drive-In: franchise cost side by side

McDonald's is the cheaper of the two to open, from $1,470,500; Sonic Drive-In starts at $1,485,200.

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

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McDonald's is the cheaper to open, from $1,470,500.

Sonic Drive-In starts at $1,485,200, the lowest cost to open given in each FDD.

From each FDD	McDonald's	Sonic Drive-In
Total cost to open	$1,470,500 to $2,642,000	$1,485,200 to $2,522,900
Upfront fee	$45,000	$15,000
Royalty (ongoing fee)	5% of gross sales, plus rent to McDonald's	5% of gross sales
Marketing fund	at least 4% of gross sales on advertising	0.9% of gross sales, plus at least 3.25% for local advertising
Published sales	$3,964,000 a year (average of 11,972 locations, 2023)	$1,552,145 a year (average of 3,057 locations, 2025)
Outlets	12,772 franchised, 685 company	3,120 franchised, 292 company
Year filed	2024	2026

More comparisons with McDonald's and Sonic Drive-In

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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