Sonic Drive In vs Grill'd Burger Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Sonic Drive In Franchise
Grill'd Burger Franchise
Investment $1,242,000 - $3,523,300$555,590 - $885,700
Franchise Fee $45,000N/A
Royalty Fee 2.45-5%8%
Advertising Fee 3%2%
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
Grill'd Burger Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • If no industry experience, must have an operating equity partner
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Sonic Drive In Franchise
    Grill'd 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
    Grill'd 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
    Grill'd Burger Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    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 Grill'd Burger

    Anyone who has ever been to Grill'd knows that the burgers are addictive, tasty and healthy and that there should be a Grill'd restaurant just about everywhere! So, to meet your demands, we are on a nationwide search for franchise partners. If you are passionate, hard-working, awesome at leading people, and love interacting with customers, keep reading on http://www.grilld.com.au/own-grilld/open-a-grilld/.
    Opportunities exist throughout Australia.
    Becoming part of the Grill’d franchise family is a great opportunity to run your own business while being part of an established network. Benefits include the potential to earn strong returns via a proven and profitable business model; the ability to leverage the strength of the Grill’d brand and purchasing power; ongoing training, operations and marketing support and access to Grill’d intellectual property and systems.
    In addition to these benefits, we hope you will have some fun and enjoy being part of the Grill’d team.