Sonic Drive In vs Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Sonic Drive In vs Kelly's Cajun Grill including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise
Investment $1,242,000 - $3,523,300$230,500 - $414,500
Franchise Fee $45,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 2.45-5%-
Advertising Fee 3%-
Year Founded 1954-
Year Franchised 1959-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee 10 years for $6K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • If no industry experience, must have an operating equity partner
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/Yes-/-
    Payroll No/Yes-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 400 hours Classroom Training: 24 hours Additional Training: At existing franchise location -
    Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Franchisee Intranet Platform -
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Email marketing Loyalty program/app -
    Operations International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 60% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 25

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Kelly's Cajun Grill Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Sonic Drive In

    Sonic Industries Inc. was founded in 1973. In 1974, Sonic acquired the name 'Sonic Drive-In' from Troy Smith, Sr., and began franchising. Smith used his more than 15 years of experience in the restaurant business to develop and operate the Sonic franchise program. A wholly owned subsidiary of Sonic Corp., the company is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has locations throughout the United States. The company's storefronts recently got a facelift to give them a 'retro-futuristic' look.

    Your estimated initial investment necessary to begin operation of a Traditional Sonic Drive-In franchise ranges from approximately $1,242,200 to $3,537,700 plus land costs and includes the $45,000 franchise fee that must be paid to Sonic.
    Your estimated initial investment necessary to begin operation of a Non-Traditional Sonic franchise ranges from approximately $361,900 to $978,700 and includes the $22,500 franchise fee that must be paid to Sonic.

    "franchiserankingscom"     "Entrepreneur
    #91 on Franchise Rankings.com
    #4 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #28 in Franchise 500 for 2021.




    About Kelly's Cajun Grill

    In 1991, Kelly’s Cajun Grill became the home of the World Famous Bourbon Chicken when it opened its first restaurant in the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida. The delicious food and innovative concept fueled the company’s rapid expansion, even surpassing all of IRMG’s other concepts combined. Kelly’s Cajun Grill is a proven concept with an excellent track record. The operations are very streamlined and the restaurants are capable of producing very high sales volumes with a very limited amount of space. Our world famous Bourbon Chicken is a delicious yet healthy dish made with fresh grilled chicken and our own special blend of sauces and seasonings. Other favorites include Blackened Chicken, Blackened Fish, Shrimp Etouffee, Cajun Spicy Chicken, as well as a variety of delicious side dishes.