A & 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.

"Top   ""
""

#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