Quick Verdict · who it fits
Charleys Philly Steaks fits owner-operators looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$203K - $1.0M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$25K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 1–4% ad
System size (Item 20)
766 +45
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
36+ yrs
Company-owned units
60
Item 3 litigation
None disclosed
Model Charleys Philly Steaks's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory•Owner-operator required✓No bankruptcy disclosed✓No Item 3 litigation
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 1–4% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (1–4%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
826
Total units open
45 franchised units, 0 company-owned units
Units opened last year
23 franchised units
Units closed last year
13 units
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Charleys Philly Steaks ranks against 811 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
21st pct · of 811 peers
Franchise fee
10th pct · of 811 peers
System size
93rd pct · of 811 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$528K - $1.3M
Avg franchise fee
$38K
Avg system size
235
Franchises analyzed
811
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleys Philly Steaks | Disclosed | $25K | $203K - $1.0M | 6% | 766 |
| Sk Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. (khazana)Similar price | None | $85K | $278K - $1.0M | 6–7.5% | 0 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | None | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Not sure Charleys Philly Steaks is the one?
Answer five questions and get matched against 2,000+ analyzed FDDs — including every Food & Beverage brand we cover. Free, no account needed.
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
The 2026 Cinnabon Franchisor SPV LLC disclosure puts a Full Bakery at $196,250 to $715,100 with a $35,500 fee, and reports a $600,536 median across 189 enclosed mall bakeries.
Brand Analysis
Chipotle reported 4,186 company-operated restaurants and 15 international licensed restaurants as of June 30, 2026. None are franchised, there is no FDD, and there is nothing to apply for. Qdoba is the franchised version of the same order line, and its 12/25 FDD puts a traditional restaurant at $548,100 to $1,294,000.
Brand Analysis
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. reported 656 company-operated stores in 43 states as of January 30, 2026, and the brand has never sold a franchise. Huddle House and Another Broken Egg cover the same daypart with filed FDDs, at $555,375 to $1,715,275 and $792,500 to $1,804,000.
Charleys Philly Steaks requires a $24,500 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $203,492–$1,004,447, per the most recent FDD on file.
Charleys Philly Steaks franchises are sold by Charleys Philly Steaks, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. Charleys Philly Steaks discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% of Gross Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 1.0% to 4.0% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Charleys Philly Steaks has 766 total locations, with 45 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. Charleys Philly Steaks does not grant exclusive territory rights under Item 12. The franchisor retains the right to operate or grant additional units inside or adjacent to your trade area.
Per the FDD, Charleys Philly Steaks discloses an initial agreement term of 10 years, a renewal fee of $10,000, a transfer fee of $10,000. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt