Quick Verdict · who it fits
Schlotzsky's Deli fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$675K - $2.3M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$36K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 4–5% ad
Item 19 median rev
$1.08M Traditional Franchises with a drive-thru
System size (Item 20)
267 +4
Model Schlotzsky's Deli's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
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.
Where units actually land — not just the headline average.
P25
$419k
Median
$1.08M
P75
$1.35M
▪ n = 201 units · Traditional Franchises with a drive-thru · Fiscal Year 2025 · Source: 2026 FDD Item 19
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 4–5% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$1,080,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (4–5%)
—
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.
294
Total units open
4
Units opened last year
27
Units closed last year
14 ceased operations + 10 non-renewed + 3 reacquired by franchisor
–23
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Schlotzsky's Deli ranks against 811 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
79th pct · of 811 peers
Franchise fee
52nd pct · of 811 peers
System size
88th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schlotzsky's Deli | Disclosed | $36K | $675K - $2.3M | 6% | 267 |
| SmashburgerSimilar price | None | $40K | $1.2M - $2.3M | 5.5% | 53 |
| 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 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
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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.
Schlotzsky's Deli requires a $35,500 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $675,365–$2,261,500, per the most recent FDD on file.
Schlotzsky's Deli is franchised by SCHLOTZSKY'S FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. Schlotzsky's Deli discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $1,084,731. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% of Net Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 4.0% to 5.0% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Schlotzsky's Deli has 267 total locations, with 4 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt