Quick Verdict · who it fits
Zaxby's 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)
$1.5M - $3.8M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$35K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 4% ad
Item 19 median rev
$2.78M population not disclosed in this filing
System size (Item 20)
865 +41
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
5+ yrs
Company-owned units
140
Model Zaxby's's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory✓Semi-absentee eligible✓No bankruptcy disclosed
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 4% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$2,780,000
$100k$5.1M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (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.
1,005
Total units open
39 franchised units
Units opened last year
41 opened, 8 closed, net +39
8
Units closed last year
+39 units in 2025
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
3
Questions to ask
How Zaxby's ranks against 811 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
93rd pct · of 811 peers
Franchise fee
35th pct · of 811 peers
System size
94th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaxby's | Disclosed | $35K | $1.5M - $3.8M | 6% | 865 |
| Bmb Franchising Services, Inc. (bombshells)Similar price | None | $50K | $2.1M - $3.8M | 5.5% | 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 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
The 2026 Zaxby's SPE Franchisor LLC disclosure prices a restaurant at $1,460,000 to $3,810,500, charges a $35,000 fee and a 6% royalty plus up to 4% for marketing, and reports a $2,783,862 median across 809 franchised restaurants, with four-wall EBITDA by quartile. Here is every Item 7 line, the full fee stack, and what the quartiles mean for payback.
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.
Zaxby's requires a $35,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $1,460,000–$3,810,500, per the most recent FDD on file.
Zaxby's franchises are sold by Zaxby's SPE Franchisor LLC, 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. Zaxby's discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $2,783,862. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% and an advertising fund contribution of 4% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Zaxby's has 865 total locations, with 41 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. Zaxby's 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, Zaxby's discloses an initial agreement term of 10 years. 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