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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 |  CAverageKrystal Quick-Service Restaurants 2025 FDD Remove |  AStrongest tierCanteen Quick-Service Restaurants 2025 FDD Remove |  BAbove averageSmashburger Quick-Service Restaurants 2025 FDD Remove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitals | |||
FDD filing | FDD issued Aug 22, 2025 | FDD issued Dec 15, 2025 | FDD issued Apr 16, 2025 |
Investment range | $1.4M – $2.2M | $1.4M – $2.1M | $1.2M – $2.3M |
Liquid capital | $50K – $100K | $75K – $100K | $10K – $20K |
Franchise fee | $35K | $3K | $40K |
Royalty rate | 5.0% | 5.3% | 5.5% |
Ad fund rate | 4.5% | Not extracted | 2.3% |
| Performance | |||
Avg gross sales | $988K | Partial, no system average | No Item 19 representation |
Median gross sales | $961K | Not extracted | Not disclosed |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | Not extracted | Not extracted | Not disclosed |
Earnings metric | Gross Margin | Not classified | Not classified |
| Risk | |||
Rating | CAverage | AStrongest tier | BAbove average |
Verdict score | 43 / 100 | 74 / 100 | 53 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | 22.7% (n=33) | 0.0% (n=11) | Limited · 11 loans |
SBA loans on record | 33 | 11 | 11 |
| Scale | |||
Total units | 280 | 261 | 194 |
Net change (latest yr) | +13 | -8 | -13 |
Signed, not yet open | 2 (0.01 per open outlet) | 0 (0.00 per open outlet) | 0 (0.00 per open outlet) |
Turnover rate | 2.6% | 3.4% | 9.8% |
| Contract | |||
Initial term (years) | 10 | 15 | 15 |
Renewal term (years) | 10 | 10 | 15 |
Initial training (hrs) | 340 | 240 | 269 |
| Contacts | |||
Franchisee phones | 25 | 78 | 76 |
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