Quick Verdict · who it fits
Applebee's Franchisor LLC fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$617K - $5.8M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$35K
Royalty (Item 6)
4% + 3.25–4.25% ad
Item 19 median rev
$2.82M
System size (Item 20)
1,460 +9
Years in business
12+ yrs
Company-owned units
59
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 4% + ad fund 3.25–4.25% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$2,820,000
$100k$5.1M
Royalty (4%)
—
Ad fund (3.25–4.25%)
—
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.
1,480
Total units open
9
Units opened last year
33
Units closed last year
-32
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Applebee's ranks against 561 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
75th pct · of 561 peers
Franchise fee
37th pct · of 561 peers
System size
94th pct · of 561 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$594K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$44K
Avg system size
346
Franchises analyzed
561
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applebee's | Disclosed | $35K | $617K - $5.8M | 4% | 1,460 |
| Chicago's Original Italian BeefSimilar price | Disclosed | $40K | $3.9M - $5.8M | 4% | 1 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | Disclosed | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Applebee's Franchisor LLC requires a $35,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $616,682–$5,822,933, per the most recent FDD on file.
Yes. Applebee's Franchisor LLC discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $2,822,904. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 4% and an advertising fund contribution of 3.25% to 4.25% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Applebee's Franchisor LLC has 1,460 total locations, with 9 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