Quick Verdict · who it fits
Sonic Franchising LLC fits owner-operators looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$670K - $2.5M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$15K
Royalty (Item 6)
5% + 1.625–3.25% ad
Item 19 median rev
$1.47M
System size (Item 20)
3,120 +32
Years in business
15+ yrs
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 5% + ad fund 1.625–3.25% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$1,470,000
$100k$2.7M
Royalty (5%)
—
Ad fund (1.625–3.25%)
—
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.
3,412
Total units open
32 franchised restaurants
Units opened last year
opened in 2025
56 franchised restaurants closed in 2025
Units closed last year
-24 units
Net unit growth
2025 fiscal year
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Sonic ranks against 607 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
80th pct · of 607 peers
Franchise fee
6th pct · of 607 peers
System size
97th pct · of 607 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$460K - $1.5M
Avg franchise fee
$43K
Avg system size
322
Franchises analyzed
607
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic | Disclosed | $15K | $670K - $2.5M | 5% | 3,120 |
| Deli ManagementSimilar price | None | $35K | $1.7M - $2.5M | 4% | 73 |
| 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.
Sonic Franchising LLC requires a $15,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $670,200–$2,522,900, per the most recent FDD on file.
Yes. Sonic Franchising LLC discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $1,465,090. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 5% of Gross Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 1.625%-3.25% of Gross Sales on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Sonic Franchising LLC has 3,120 total locations, with 32 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