Panera Bread vs Sonic Drive-In: franchise cost side by side

Panera Bread is the cheaper of the two to open, from $1,337,139; 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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Panera Bread is the cheaper to open, from $1,337,139.

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

From each FDD	Panera Bread	Sonic Drive-In
Total cost to open	$1,337,139 to $4,569,880	$1,485,200 to $2,522,900
Upfront fee	$50,000	$15,000
Royalty (ongoing fee)	5% of net sales	5% of gross sales
Marketing fund	4% of net sales to the national advertising fund	0.9% of gross sales, plus at least 3.25% for local advertising
Published sales	$2,541,217 a year (average of 1,073 locations, 2025)	$1,552,145 a year (average of 3,057 locations, 2025)
Outlets	1,106 franchised, 1,108 company	3,120 franchised, 292 company
Year filed	2026	2026

More comparisons with Panera Bread 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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