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

McDonald's is the cheaper of the two to open, from $1,470,500; Wendy's starts at $1,523,957.

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.

Wendy's starts at $1,523,957, the lowest cost to open given in each FDD.

From each FDD	McDonald's	Wendy's
Total cost to open	$1,470,500 to $2,642,000	$1,523,957 to $2,992,000
Upfront fee	$45,000	$50,000
Royalty (ongoing fee)	5% of gross sales, plus rent to McDonald's	4% of gross sales
Marketing fund	at least 4% of gross sales on advertising	2% to 4% of gross sales on advertising
Published sales	$3,964,000 a year (average of 11,972 locations, 2023)	$2,108,454 a year (average of 5,325 locations, 2024)
Outlets	12,772 franchised, 685 company	5,552 franchised, 381 company
Year filed	2024	2025

More comparisons with McDonald's and Wendy'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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