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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.
Focus by buyer type
| Brand |  FWeakest tierDickey's Barbecue Pit Quick-Service Restaurants Remove |  CAverageAPPLE SPICE® Quick-Service Restaurants Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Vitals | ||
Investment range | $438K – $529K | $393K – $572K |
Liquid capital | $15K – $30K | $45K – $70K |
Franchise fee | $15K | $49K |
Royalty rate | 6.0% | 6.0% |
Ad fund rate | 3.0% | 1.0% |
| Performance | ||
Avg gross sales | N/A | $885K |
Median gross sales | N/A | $727K |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | N/A | N/A |
Earnings metric | Not classified | Not classified |
| Risk | ||
Rating | FWeakest tier | CAverage |
Verdict score | 16 / 100 | 45 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | 32.0% | 24.1% |
SBA loans on record | 402 | 46 |
| Scale | ||
Total units | 386 | 32 |
Net change (latest yr) | N/A | N/A |
Turnover rate | 46.2% | 19.4% |
| Contract | ||
Initial term (years) | 20 | 10 |
Renewal term (years) | 10 | 10 |
Initial training (hrs) | 140 | 121 |
| Contacts | ||
Franchisee phones | 331 | 1 |
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