Wendy's Cost Comparisons

About Wendy's

Wendy's is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Dublin, Ohio and owned by the United States corporation Wendy's International, Inc. There are over 6,600 Wendy's restaurants worldwide. The chain is famous for its chili. Also, it is known for its Frosty dairy desserts, the fact that their burgers are square, its fresh and never frozen ground beef, and its making of all sandwich items to order. Unlike most fast food chains, Wendy's historically did not serve breakfast, except for stores in Puerto Rico. Wendy's tried serving breakfast in the mid-1980s, but the endeavor quickly failed. However, they have reformulated their breakfast menu recently and are now serving breakfast in many locations. Wendy's was founded by Dave Thomas in 1969 and named after his 8-year old daughter, Melinda, who had the nickname of "Wendy." The corporate headquarters is located in Dublin, Ohio. The first Wendy's restaurant was opened in Columbus, Ohio on November 15, 1969, and grew rapidly to open over 3,000 stores by 1985. However, by the mid-1980s some Wendy's restaurants became underperforming and closed. By 1989, Dave Thomas came out of retirement and started doing commercials for Wendy's and helped rebuild the restaurant until his death. After international expansion in the 1980s, the chain retrenched in the late 1990s. In 1999 it pulled out of London and Hong Kong (its Hong Kong branch was located on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai). In 1995, Tim Hortons' popularity had spilled over to American investors; the chain's parent company, The TDL Group ("TDL" stands for the original corporate name "Tim Donut Ltd."), was acquired by Wendy's International, Inc.. As a result, Ron Joyce, Tim Horton's partner and first franchisee, was, for a time, the largest shareholder of Wendy's.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Wendy’s Restaurant will vary depending upon whether the property is purchased for cash, financed or leased, as well as other factors, but it normally ranges from $1,893,850 to $3,689,350 if you purchase for cash, $565,850 to $1,131,350 if you finance, and $318,850 to $643,850 you lease (see Item 7). This includes an amount between $0-$55,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliates.
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#24 in Canada's Top franchises.

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Hamburgers/Hot Dogs Franchise Opportunities

Below is a quick comparison of Wendy's against other Hamburgers/Hot Dogs franchises and business opportunities. For an in depth comparison of Wendy's 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
A & W Restaurants $15,000-$30,000 5% 5% $269,000-$1,213,000
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
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