Is Johnny Rockets or First Watch cheaper to open?

Johnny Rockets costs $517,300–$2,667,900 and First Watch costs $1,210,150–$2,028,800 to open (FDD Item 7). Johnny Rockets has the lower entry cost.

Which is safer, Johnny Rockets or First Watch?

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 35.9% for Johnny Rockets and 0.0% for First Watch. Lower is safer, so First Watch has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Which is the better franchise, Johnny Rockets or First Watch?

FranchiseVerdict grades Johnny Rockets F and First Watch A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Johnny Rockets vs First Watch

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Johnny Rockets and First Watch are full-service restaurants franchises. Johnny Rockets requires an investment of $517K – $2.7M while First Watch requires $1.2M – $2.0M. Johnny Rockets discloses average revenue of $1.6M; First Watch does not report Item 19 data. On SBA loan performance, First Watch has a lower charge-off rate (0.0%) compared to Johnny Rockets (35.9%). FranchiseVerdict rates Johnny Rockets F (Weakest tier) and First Watch A (Strongest tier).

Metric	Johnny Rockets	First Watch
Verdict Grade	FWeakest tierWeakest tier	AStrongest tierStrongest tier
Investment Range	$517K – $2.7M	$1.2M – $2.0M
Franchise Fee	$50K	$40K
Royalty Rate	6.0%	4.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.6M	N/A
SBA Charge-Off Rate	35.9% (39 loans)	0.0% (12 loans)
Total Units	100	474
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1987	2008
FDD Year	2025	2023