Five Guys Burgers & Fries vs Sonic Drive In Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Investment $306,200 - $716,250$1,242,000 - $3,523,300
Franchise Fee $50,000 - $125,000$45,000
Royalty Fee 6%2.45-5%
Advertising Fee 2%3%
Year Founded 19861954
Year Franchised 20021959
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Renewal Fee -10 years for $6K


Business Experience Requirements

 
Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience

  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • If no industry experience, must have an operating equity partner

  • Financing Options

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

    Training & Support

     
    Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Training -On-The-Job Training: 400 hours Classroom Training: 24 hours Additional Training: At existing franchise location
    Support Newsletter, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesPurchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Franchisee Intranet Platform
    Marketing Regional advertisingCo-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

     
    Five Guys Burgers & Fries Franchise
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion NoNo

    Company Overviews

    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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    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.

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