Whataburger franchise: what it takes
Only operators ready to open five or more restaurants in five years and holding $5 million in liquid assets can buy a Whataburger franchise.
- Number of restaurants in your commitment
- 5 or more within 5 years
- Net worth required
- $12.5 million minimum
- Cost range they publish
- None on Whataburger's site
Every brand in our main table is sourced from the registry kept by the Minnesota Department of Commerce; the Whataburger numbers here reflect what it publishes on Whataburger's franchising page. Before you sign, the brand must still hand you its complete FDD.
Whataburger franchise cost
The cost of one restaurant isn't on Whataburger's franchise page; it lists who it will sign instead. Be careful with any single figure you see quoted elsewhere: Whataburger's published terms don't include it.
Each of the brands below publishes its full opening cost in an FDD for a burger restaurant one owner can buy.
Similar franchises that have a full FDD on file
Each brand here has an FDD we could read, with every figure taken from it: fee, opening cost, royalty and whether they share sales figures.
| Brand | Total cost to open, low to high estimate | Upfront fee, paid once | Royalty, ongoing fee | Sales or earnings shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Subway2026 FDD | $263K to $630K | $15,000 | 8% | No |
 Jimmy John's2026 FDD | $366K to $734K | $35,000 | 6% | $1.01M a yearaverage store, before costs |
 Firehouse Subs2026 FDD | $405K to $876K | $20,000 | 6% | $974K a yearaverage store, before costs |
 Jersey Mike's2026 FDD | $436K to $1.16M | $20,000 | 6.5% | $1.37M a yearaverage store, before costs |
 Arby's2026 FDD | $869K to $2.46M | $37,500 | 4% | $1.27M a yearaverage store, before costs |
 Five Guys2026 FDD | $928K to $1.38M | $25,000 | 6% | No |
 Panera Bread2026 FDD | $1.34M to $4.57M | $50,000 | 5% | $2.54M a yearaverage store, before costs |
 McDonald's2024 FDD | $1.47M to $2.64M | $45,000 | 5% (plus rent) | $3.96M a yearaverage store, before costs |
A brand must give you its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) before you buy; all the figures come from its most recent one. After you open, the royalty is the part of sales, or the fixed amount, that you keep paying the brand; "Sales or earnings shown" tells you whether the brand shares the amount its locations take in. K means thousand, and M means million.
A franchise attorney can check the Whataburger FDD with you
When Whataburger sends you its FDD and franchise agreement, one franchise attorney can read both before you sign.