Sonic Drive In vs Habit Burger Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Habit Burger Franchise
Investment $1,242,000 - $3,523,300$1,231,000 - $1,654,000
Franchise Fee $45,000$35,000
Royalty Fee 2.45-5%-
Advertising Fee 3%-
Year Founded 19541969
Year Franchised 19592013
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee 10 years for $6K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Habit Burger Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • If no industry experience, must have an operating equity partner
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Habit Burger 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
    Habit Burger 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
    Habit Burger Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion NoYes

    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 Habit Burger

    "Habit

    From our humble beginning in Santa Barbara, California in 1969 to more than 240 Habit Burger Grill restaurants in communities across the country today, we have always continued to operate under the same simple philosophy: always deliver high-quality food and great service at reasonable prices. The Habit is a burger-centric fast casual restaurant that uniquely combines chargrilling over an open flame to create a delicious variety of fresh and flavorful award-winning burgers, sandwiches, salads and more. At the core of The Habit is our commitment to a ‘quality-first’ mindset. We call it ‘The Habit Difference’.

    The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Habit Burger Restaurant franchise is $1,231,000 to $1,439,000 for a restaurant with no drive-thru, $1,366,000 to $1,604,000 for a restaurant at an end-cap location with a drive-thru, and $1,401,000 to $1,654,000 for a restaurant at a standalone location with a drive-thru. This includes $53,000 to $60,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate.
    The total investment necessary to begin operation under an Area Development Agreement is $52,000 to $275,000. This includes $50,000 to $250,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate.