Top food and restaurant franchise opportunities across QSR, fast casual, casual dining, coffee, and bakery categories — ranked by FDD data.
Food and restaurant franchises are the most recognizable segment of the franchise industry — and often the most competitive. From fast food giants to emerging fast-casual concepts, the range of investment levels, revenue potential, and operational complexity is enormous.
We ranked the top food franchise brands in our database using our franchise score, which evaluates unit growth, closure rates, fee burden, and financial transparency. This list spans QSR (quick-service restaurants), fast casual, casual dining, coffee & tea, bakery, and dessert franchise brands.
20
Food Franchises Ranked
$53K
Lowest Investment
$5.40M
Highest Investment
100.0
Top Score
Showing 20 franchises
| # | Brand | Category | Investment | Revenue | Est. Profit | Closure Rate | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jersey Mike's | QSR | $186K – $1.42M | $1.29M | $161K (12%) | 0.1% | 100.0 |
| 2 | Crumbl | Dessert | $323K – $692K | $1.69M | $169K (10%) | 0.4% | 93.0 |
| 3 | Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | QSR | $1.09M – $3.70M | $2.19M | $90K (4%) | 0.0% | 92.0 |
| 4 | Nothing Bundt Cakes | Bakery | $667K – $906K | $1.50M | $397K (26%) | 0.0% | 90.0 |
| 5 | Chicken Salad Chick | Fast Casual | $777K – $994K | $1.24M | $159K (13%) | 0.7% | 89.0 |
| 6 | Cinnaholic | Food & Beverage | $125K – $282K | $351K | $53K (15%) | 0.8% | 89.0 |
| 7 | Eggs Up Grill | Fast Casual | $611K – $935K | $1.10M | $154K (14%) | 0.6% | 89.0 |
| 8 | Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers | QSR | $786K – $2.75M | $2.22M | $131K (6%) | 0.5% | 89.0 |
| 9 | LAYNE’S CHICKEN FINGERS | QSR | $452K – $1.05M | $1.98M | $442K (22%) | 0.0% | 89.0 |
| 10 | Domino's Pizza | QSR | $120K – $462K | $1.16M | $157K (14%) | 0.1% | 88.0 |
| 11 | Panda Express | QSR | $514K – $3.28M | $1.34M | $161K (12%) | 0.2% | 88.0 |
| 12 | Bonchon | Fast Casual | $263K – $1.31M | $1.10M | $149K (14%) | 1.2% | 85.0 |
| 13 | Cold Stone Creamery | Dessert | $53K – $603K | $570K | $63K (11%) | 0.0% | 85.0 |
| 14 | Dunkin' | QSR | $527K – $1.83M | $1.20M | $109K (9%) | 0.1% | 85.0 |
| 15 | NÉKTAR JUICE BAR | Food & Beverage | $243K – $647K | $503K | $70K (14%) | 1.2% | 85.0 |
| 16 | PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans | Coffee & Tea | $262K – $1.70M | $458K | $127K (28%) | 0.0% | 85.0 |
| 17 | Chick-fil-A | QSR | $427K – $2.34M | $9.23M | $461K (5%) | 0.2% | 84.0 |
| 18 | Culver's | Fast Casual | $2.40M – $5.40M | $3.04M | $1.59M (52%) | 0.0% | 84.0 |
| 19 | Marco's Pizza | QSR | $287K – $807K | $1.01M | $-119K (-12%) | 1.3% | 84.0 |
| 20 | El Pollo Loco | QSR | $794K – $2.69M | $2.17M | $217K (10%) | 0.1% | 83.0 |
This ranking includes brands from the following categories: QSR, Fast Casual, Casual Dining, Food & Beverage, Coffee & Tea, Bakery, and Dessert. Brands are ranked by franchise score. Investment data and revenue figures come from each brand's most recent FDD filing.
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Every franchise report includes investment costs, fee breakdowns, revenue data, and closure rates from official FDD filings.