McDonald's vs Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of McDonald's vs Five Guys Burgers & Fries including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
McDonald's Franchise
Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
Investment $1,314,500 - $2,306,500$306,200 - $716,250
Franchise Fee $45,000$50,000 - $125,000
Royalty Fee 4%6%
Advertising Fee 4%+2%
Year Founded 19551986
Year Franchised 19552002
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Renewal Fee $45K-


Business Experience Requirements

 
McDonald's Franchise
Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills

  • Industry experience
  • General business experience

  • Financing Options

     
    McDonald's Franchise
    Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/No
    Start-up Costs No/NoNo/Yes
    Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
    Inventory No/NoNo/No
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support

     
    McDonald's Franchise
    Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 500 hours Classroom Training: 72 hours Additional Training: At local McDonald's restaurant -
    Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Newsletter, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app Regional advertising
    Operations 82% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    McDonald's Franchise
    Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesNo

    Company Overviews

    About McDonald's

    Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman, ventured to California in 1954 to visit McDonald's hamburger stand, where he heard they were running eight mixers at once. Kroc was impressed by how rapidly customers were served and, seeing an opportunity to sell many more milkshake machines, encouraged brothers Dick and Mac McDonald to open a chain of their restaurants. Kroc became their business partner and opened the first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955.
    McDonald's brand is in 122 countries around the world. Thirty thousand locations serve 51 million customers each day. More than 70 percent of McDonald's restaurants around the world are owned and operated by independent local business people. Most standalone McDonald's restaurants offer both counter and drive-through service, with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating. The Drive-Thru, Auto-Mac, or McDrive as it is known in many countries, often has separate stations for placing, paying for, and picking up orders, though the former two steps are frequently combined. In some countries "McDrive" locations near highways offer no counter service or seating. In contrast, locations in high-density city neighborhoods often omit drive-through service.


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    About Five Guys Burgers & Fries

    At Five Guys, we don't like to talk about ourselves very much. We would rather focus on making burgers. So if you're interested in franchising, we hope it's because you love our burgers, love that we have a simple menu, and want to serve great burgers in a clean and friendly environment with very little fuss. If you feel that way, then there isn't much more to say! With the simple focus on quality, service and cleanliness, Five Guys has opened over 300 restaurants in less than five years. If you're interested in being a part of the Five Guys family, then fill out our form to reach our Franchise Department. We will get back to you with an application and will let you know what areas of the country are open for development. Markets Available for Development We are pleased to announce that we are currently sold out in the United States and in Canada. Our franchisees are feverishly working on completing development of their territories. This means that there are some areas without Five Guys locations, but those territories have been sold and franchisees will be opening there soon.

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