Is MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO or Ginger Ale's cheaper to open?

MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO costs $282,790–$697,750 and Ginger Ale's costs $174,851–$809,817 to open (FDD Item 7). Ginger Ale's has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO or Ginger Ale's?

FranchiseVerdict grades MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO D and Ginger Ale's D, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO vs Ginger Ale's

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO and Ginger Ale's are full-service restaurants franchises. MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO requires an investment of $283K – $698K while Ginger Ale's requires $175K – $810K. FranchiseVerdict rates MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO D (Below average) and Ginger Ale's D (Below average).

Metric	MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO	Ginger Ale's
Verdict Grade	DBelow averageBelow average	DBelow averageBelow average
Investment Range	$283K – $698K	$175K – $810K
Franchise Fee	$35K	$25K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ACompany-owned only · n=2	N/AOutlet subset
SBA Charge-Off Rate	N/A	N/A
Total Units	2	12
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	2024	2021
FDD Year	2025	2025