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4 brands side-by-side
Compare up to 5 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.
These figures come from FDDs of different years (2025, 2026). Costs, fees and unit counts change from one filing to the next, so the older column may be out of date.
Focus by buyer type
| Brand |  BAbove averageMellow Mushroom Full-Service Restaurants 2026 FDD Remove |  BAbove averageHonest Full-Service Restaurants 2025 FDD Remove |  AStrongest tierDenny's Full-Service Restaurants 2025 FDD Remove |  CAverageEggspectation Full-Service Restaurants 2025 FDD Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitals | ||||
FDD filing | 2026 FDD | FDD issued Jul 21, 2025 | FDD issued Apr 30, 2025 | FDD issued Apr 15, 2025 |
Investment range | $1.7M – $2.9M | $1.9M – $2.7M | $1.6M – $3.1M | $2.0M – $2.5M |
Liquid capital | $60K – $60K | $50K – $100K | $50K – $150K | $75K – $100K |
Franchise fee | $50K | $25K | $30K | $50K |
Royalty rate | 5.0% | 5.5% | 4.5% | 5.0% |
Ad fund rate | 3.0% | 0.0% | 3.0% | 1.0% |
| Performance | ||||
Avg gross sales | $2.7M | No Item 19 representation | $1.9M | $4.5M2 outlets |
Median gross sales | $2.6M | Not disclosed | $1.8M | $4.5M2 outlets |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | Not extracted | Not disclosed | Not extracted | Not extracted |
Earnings metric | Not classified | Not classified | Average Sales (Franchised Restaurant Sales) | Not classified |
| Risk | ||||
Rating | BAbove average | BAbove average | AStrongest tier | CAverage |
Verdict score | 56 / 100 | 53 / 100 | 73 / 100 | 43 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | 15.0% (n=142) | Under 10 loans (4) | 7.5% (n=283) | Not SBA-matched |
SBA loans on record | 142 | 4 | 283 | N/A |
| Scale | ||||
Total units | 161 | 40 | 1,334 | 8 |
Net change (latest yr) | -5 | +4 | -69 | -1 |
Signed, not yet open | 1 (0.01 per open outlet) | 5 (0.13 per open outlet) | 2 (0.00 per open outlet) | Not extracted |
Turnover rate | 3.1% | 5.0% | 6.5% | 25.0% |
| Contract | ||||
Initial term (years) | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Renewal term (years) | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Initial training (hrs) | 267 | 275 | 408 | 267 |
| Contacts | ||||
Franchisee phones | 134 | 45 | 15 | 25 |
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