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Updated RecentlyA & W Restaurants Cost Comparisons
About A & W Restaurants
In 1919, our founder Roy Allen set up a roadside drink stand in Lodi, California to introduce a new beverage called "root beer" at a parade honoring returning World War I veterans. With his creation an instant success, Allen and partner Frank Wright named the beverage we know today as A&W Root Beer. Allen and Wright started franchising roadside stands, making A&W Restaurants the oldest franchise restaurant chain in the country.
We are proud to stick to our roots and honor the past, while still growing with the changing times. We are committed to making it right, every time. Laughter, simple pleasures, and celebrations are all vital to A&W.
Ask around, everyone has an A&W memory: first dates, baby mugs of Root Beer, high school sweethearts, and that perfect burger.
We're more than just a place for a frosty mug of Root Beer and a great meal.
We're A&W Restaurants, and we're inviting you to be part of something bigger than just owning a business. We're inviting you to be part of the A&W family. Create your very own A&W memories for yourself and your community.
Consider this a unique opportunity to join a 96-year-old iconic American brand being run with the entrepreneurial spirit of a startup company. Since December 2011, when A&W was purchased by a partnership of domestic and international franchisees, A&W set its sight on becoming a world class franchise organization.
Over the last 3 years, we've invested our resources in defining a competitive brand strategy that impacts all consumer touch points and has us well-positioned to capitalize on our heritage while remaining relevant to today's consumer.
From new menu launches like our delicious Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders and right-sized Mini Polar Swirls to our flexible localized marketing strategies, we are committed to innovation that will bring us another successful 101 years.
The total investment necessary to begin operation, not including rent or
land costs, is $886,000 to $1,397,000 for a Freestanding Restaurant;
416,000 to $977,000 for a Inline Restaurant; and $276,000 to $680,500
for a Captive Restaurant. This includes $15,000 to $30,000 plus an
additional $35,000 if you agree to develop 3 restaurants or $50,000 if
you agree to develop 5 restaurants that must be paid to the franchisor
or its affiliates.
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#7 in Canada's Top franchises.
In Franchise Business Reviews Top 200.
#290 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
Hamburgers/Hot Dogs Franchise Opportunities
Below is a quick comparison of A & W Restaurants against other Hamburgers/Hot Dogs franchises and business opportunities. For an in depth comparison of A & W Restaurants with another opportunity including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options click on the name of the company to view the detailed comparison.
| Franchise | Franchise Fee | Royalty | Advertising Fee | Development Costs |
| All American Hot Dog Carts | N/A | $1,700-$5,999 | ||
| America's Dog & Burger | $30,000 | $298,800-$694,050 | ||
| Back Yard Burgers | $35,000 | 5% | 3% | $465,000-$1,680,000 |
| Bareburger | N/A | $987,000-And Up | ||
| Burger Hut | N/A | 4.5% | $376,092-And Up | |
| Burger Joint, The | $40,000 | 5.5% | 1%Nat'l + 1%Local | $195,800-$589,800 |
| Burger King | $50,000 | 4.5% | 4% | $333,100-$3,398,600 |
| BurgerFi | $37,500 | 5.5% | 1.5% | $613,600-$987,250 |
| BurgerFuel | $35,000 | 6% of net | 4% of net | $510,500-$864,500 |
| Burgerim | N/A | $150,000-$400,000 | ||
| Carl's Jr | $25,000-$35,000 | 4% | 6% | $1,603,000-$2,168,000 |
| Carla's Sandwiches & Burgers | $8,500 | $850/mo. | $125/mo. | $81,000-$2,400,000 |
| Carts of America | N/A | $3,299-$6,999 | ||
| Char-Hut | $30,000 | $250,000-$500,000 | ||
| Checkers Drive-In | $30,000 | 4% | 4.5% | $259,000-$1,431,000 |
| Cheeburger Cheeburger | $24,500-$35,000 | 4.5% | $322,500-$603,000 | |
| Cheese Curds Gourmet Burgers + Poutinerie | $35,000 | 5% | 1% Nat'l + 1% local | $475,000-$650,000 |
| Coney Beach | $25,000 | 6% | $279,000-$493,000 | |
| Coneys Frozen Custard | $19,500 | 6% | 4% | $129,250-$194,500 |
| Counter, The | $35,000 | 6% | 2% | $711,133-$1,939,750 |
| Culver | $55,000 | 4% | 2.5% | $2,349,000-$5,356,000 |
| Dairy Queen | $45,000 | 4% | 5-6% | $1,151,135-$1,936,655 |
| Dog Haus | $35,000 | 6% | 2% | $378,000-$949,100 |
| Dogfather, The | $25,000-$35,000 | 6.5% | $179,300-$263,000 | |
| Dogout, The | $25,000 | $204,000-$474,000 | ||
| Dream Maker Hot Dog Carts | N/A | $2,899-$15,999 | ||
| Drifter's Hamburgers | $25,000 | 5% | 2% local | $113,500-$501,000 |
| Elevation Burger | N/A | $338,500-$599,500 | ||
| Farmer Boys | $45,000 | 5% | 3% | $1,042,500-$2,486,500 |
| Fat Patty's | $40,000 | $627,533-$1,048,500 | ||
| Fatburger | $50,000 | 6% | 2% | $498,100-$850,600 |
| Five Guys Burgers & Fries | $50,000-$125,000 | 6% | 2% | $306,200-$716,250 |
| Flamer's Grill | $30,000 | 5% | 2% | $171,500-$345,500 |
| Foster's Grille | $35,000 | 5% | $291,700-$538,100 | |
| Frankie's | N/A | $200,000-And Up | ||
| Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers | $40,000 | 4% | 1% | $307,850-$696,000 |
| Fuddruckers | $35,000 | 5% | .25% | $495,000-$1,565,000 |
| Fulton Market Burger Company | $15,000 | 4% | 2% | $275,000-$405,000 |
| Gino's Burgers & Chicken | N/A | $500,000-$700,000 | ||
| Glory Days Grill | $50,000 | 3% | 1% | $1,696,500-$2,526,500 |
| Good Times Burgers | N/A | 4% | up to 5.5% | $750,000-And Up |
| Grill'd Burger | N/A | 8% | 2% | $555,590-$885,700 |
| Ground Pat'i Grille & Bar, The | $22,000-$35,000 | 4% | $359,800-$1,600,000 | |
| Habit Burger | $35,000 | $1,231,000-$1,654,000 | ||
| Hamburger Mary's | $50,000 | 4% (on first $150K monthly gross), 3% (on monthly gross above $150K) | $417,150-$955,500 | |
| Hardee's | $25,000-$35,000 | 4% | 5.5% | $1,454,000-$2,046,000 |
| Hero Certified Burgers | $25,000 | $60,000-$80,000 | ||
| Hot Dog On A Stick | $15,000-$25,000 | 6% | 2% | $338,200-$556,000 |
| Hot Fries | $30,000 | $166,997-$374,900 | ||
| Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries | $25,000 | 5% | 1% | $153,925-$249,925 |
| Jack in the Box | $50,000 | 5% | 5% | $1,651,500-$2,638,600 |
| Jake's Over the Top | $29,000-$40,000 | 5% | 3% | $150,000-$350,000 |
| Jerry's Curb Service | $40,000 | 4% | $959,000-$1,600,000 | |
| JL Beers | $40,000 | 4% | $857,200-$2,222,500 | |
| Johnnie's Dog House | $25,000 | 6% | $82,600-$355,750 | |
| Johnny Rockets | $49,000 | 5% | $581,000-$877,000 | |
| Juicy Burgers | N/A | $50,414-$150,265 | ||
| Krystal Restaurants | $32,500 | 4.5% | $900,000-$1,300,000 | |
| Lick's | $45,000 | $495,000-$595,000 | ||
| Locos Grill & Pub | $35,000 | 4% | $575,400-$1,960,000 | |
| McDonald's | $45,000 | 4% | 4%+ | $1,314,500-$2,306,500 |
| Meaty Burger & Hotdogs | $1,350 | 0 | 0 | $1,500 |
| Mooyah | $40,000 | 6% | 3% | $403,750-$639,100 |
| Mr. Goodburger's | $25,000 | 6-8% | $155,000-$210,000 | |
| Nathan's Famous | $30,000 | 5.5% | 2% | $43,000-$1,071,360 |
| O'Burger | $30,000-$40,000 | $175,000-$500,000 | ||
| Original Hot Dog Factory, The | $20,000 | 5.5% | 1% | $97,500-$517,887 |
| Philly Dawgz | $30,000 | 3.5% | 3% local +1% Nat'l | $77,000-$135,000 |
| Rally's Hamburgers | $30,000 | 4% | 4.5% | $254,000-$1,431,000 |
| Red Robin Gourmet Burgers | $35,000 | 4% | $1,865,000-$4,115,000 | |
| Runza Restaurants | $30,000 | 5% | 1%+up to 4% locally | $1,250,000-$2,720,000 |
| Smashburger | $40,000 | 5 - 6% | 2% | $743,130-$1,404,535 |
| Sonic Drive In | $45,000 | 2.45-5% | 3% | $1,242,000-$3,523,300 |
| Steak n Shake | $25,000-$40,000 | 5.5% | $672,000-$1,835,000 | |
| Steaks To Go | $24,500 | $250/wk. or 3% | $110,000-$150,000 | |
| Wahlburgers | $40,000 | 6% | $1,680,000-$2,885,000 | |
| Wayback Burgers | $35,000 | 5% | 2% | $209,000,524,500 |
| Wendy's | $40,000 | 4% | 3.5%Nat'l +0.5% Local | $318,850-$3,689,350 |
| Whataburger | N/A | $1,200,000 | ||
| Wienerschnitzel | $10,000-$32,000 | 5% | 1% | $303,600-$1,443,000 |
| Willy Dog | N/A | $599-$8,999 | ||
| Windmill | $27,500 | 5% | 4% | $127,500-$322,500 |
| Woody's Chicago Style | N/A | 6% | $58,600-$394,000 | |
| WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro, The | $45,000 | 6% | 2%-2.5% | $650,000-$850,000 |