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3 brands side-by-side

Compare up to 4 brands side by side

indicates the clear winner per row. Ties and missing data are not highlighted.

How winners are chosen

Lower is better for investment, liquid capital, franchise fee, royalty and ad-fund rates, SBA charge-off rate, and owner turnover.

Higher is better for disclosed revenue and owner earnings, verdict score, total units, net unit growth, and franchisee contacts. For the letter grade, A ranks highest.

A row is highlighted only when one brand clearly leads. Ties are never highlighted, and missing data never counts as a win. Some rows (earnings-metric type, loan counts, contract terms) are informational and have no winner.

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These brands report different earnings metrics (EBITDAR9, Average Annual Gross Sales, Average Sales). Financial figures may not be directly comparable.

Focus by buyer type

Brand	AStrongest tier Carl's Jr. Quick-Service Restaurants Remove	AStrongest tier Wendy's Quick-Service Restaurants Remove	BAbove average Del Taco Quick-Service Restaurants Remove
Vitals
Investment range	$1.5M – $3.2M	$1.6M – $3.1M	$1.5M – $3.3M
Liquid capital	$160K – $250K	$88K – $163K	$28K – $65K
Franchise fee	$25K	$50K	$35K
Royalty rate	4.0%	4.0%	5.0%
Ad fund rate	6.0%	N/A	4.0%
Performance
Avg gross sales	$1.4M	$2.0M	$1.6MOutlet subset
Median gross sales	$1.3M	$1.9M	$1.5MOutlet subset
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below	$372K	N/A	N/A
Earnings metric	EBITDAR9	Average Annual Gross Sales	Average Sales
Risk
Rating	AStrongest tier	AStrongest tier	BAbove average
Verdict score	76 / 100	79 / 100	51 / 100
SBA charge-off rate	0.0%	0.8%	18.9%
SBA loans on record	34	200	50
Scale
Total units	1,063	5,969	594
Net change (latest yr)	N/A	N/A	N/A
Turnover rate	1.4%	N/A	2.0%
Contract
Initial term (years)	20	20	20
Renewal term (years)	10	20	20
Initial training (hrs)	328	540	448
Contacts
Franchisee phones	1,009	5,958	18

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