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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 |  AStrongest tierPotbelly Sandwich Shop Quick-Service Restaurants Remove |  CAverageGREEN + THE GRAIN Quick-Service Restaurants Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Vitals | ||
Investment range | $644K – $1.2M | $402K – $1.4M |
Liquid capital | $25K – $35K | $50K – $80K |
Franchise fee | $40K | $50K |
Royalty rate | 6.0% | 6.0% |
Ad fund rate | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Performance | ||
Avg gross sales | $1.2M | $1.2MCompany-owned only |
Median gross sales | $1.2M | N/A |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | N/A | $218K |
Earnings metric | Not classified | Net Income (before depreciation, taxes, loan repayment) |
| Risk | ||
Rating | AStrongest tier | CAverage |
Verdict score | 88 / 100 | 46 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | 0.0% | N/A |
SBA loans on record | 12 | N/A |
| Scale | ||
Total units | 424 | 6 |
Net change (latest yr) | N/A | N/A |
Turnover rate | 5.1% | 0.0% |
| Contract | ||
Initial term (years) | 10 | 10 |
Renewal term (years) | 5 | 10 |
Initial training (hrs) | 298 | 150 |
| Contacts | ||
Franchisee phones | 79 | 1 |
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