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4 brands side-by-side

Compare up to 4 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.

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Focus by buyer type

Brand	CAverage Smashburger Quick-Service Restaurants Remove	AStrongest tier Canteen Quick-Service Restaurants Remove	AStrongest tier la Madeleine Quick-Service Restaurants Remove	AStrongest tier El Pollo Loco Quick-Service Restaurants Remove
Vitals
Investment range	$1.2M – $2.3M	$1.4M – $2.1M	$1.2M – $2.3M	$794K – $2.7M
Liquid capital	$10K – $20K	$75K – $100K	$15K – $200K	$25K – $100K
Franchise fee	$40K	$3K	$40K	$40K
Royalty rate	5.5%	N/A	5.0%	5.0%
Ad fund rate	2.3%	N/A	3.0%	5.0%
Performance
Avg gross sales	N/A	N/A	N/A	$2.2M
Median gross sales	N/A	N/A	N/A	$2.1M
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Earnings metric	Not classified	Not classified	EBITDA	Not classified
Risk
Rating	CAverage	AStrongest tier	AStrongest tier	AStrongest tier
Verdict score	39 / 100	74 / 100	74 / 100	80 / 100
SBA charge-off rate	18.2%	0.0%	N/A	6.5%
SBA loans on record	11	11	N/A	61
Scale
Total units	194	261	91	503
Net change (latest yr)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Turnover rate	21.5%	6.0%	1.6%	0.0%
Contract
Initial term (years)	15	15	10	20
Renewal term (years)	15	10	10	10
Initial training (hrs)	269	240	300	N/A
Contacts
Franchisee phones	76	78	14	100

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