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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 |  CAverageHardee's Quick-Service Restaurants 2026 FDD Remove |  BAbove averageDairy Queen Quick-Service Restaurants 2026 FDD Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Vitals | ||
FDD filing | 2026 FDD | FDD issued Mar 26, 2026 |
Investment range | $1.4M – $2.6M | $1.5M – $2.6M |
Liquid capital | $160K – $250K | $51K – $198K |
Franchise fee | $25K | $45K |
Royalty rate | 4.0% | 4.0% |
Ad fund rate | 4.3% | 5.0% |
| Performance | ||
Avg gross sales | $1.3M | $1.5MOutlet subset |
Median gross sales | $1.3M | $1.4MOutlet subset |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | Not extracted | Not extracted |
Earnings metric | Not classified | Not classified |
| Risk | ||
Rating | CAverage | BAbove average |
Verdict score | 40 / 100 | 69 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | 39.0% (n=55) | 10.6% (n=1,242) |
SBA loans on record | 55 | 1,242 |
| Scale | ||
Total units | 1,485 | 1,985 |
Net change (latest yr) | -82 | +14 |
Signed, not yet open | Not extracted | 5 (0.00 per open outlet) |
Turnover rate | 2.4% | 1.4% |
| Contract | ||
Initial term (years) | 20 | 20 |
Renewal term (years) | 10 | 10 |
Initial training (hrs) | 195 | 277 |
| Contacts | ||
Franchisee phones | 83 | 276 |
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