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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 |  BAbove averageSteak N Shake Full-Service Restaurants Remove |  AStrongest tierPenn Station, Inc. Full-Service Restaurants Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Vitals | ||
Investment range | $259K – $998K | $441K – $820K |
Liquid capital | $239K – $833K | $10K – $21K |
Franchise fee | $10K | $13K |
Royalty rate | N/A | N/A |
Ad fund rate | 10.0% | 2.0% |
| Performance | ||
Avg gross sales | $130K | $820K |
Median gross sales | $1.7M | $779K |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | N/A | $174K |
Earnings metric | Not classified | Not classified |
| Risk | ||
Rating | BAbove average | AStrongest tier |
Verdict score | 51 / 100 | 73 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | 15.2% | 2.0% |
SBA loans on record | 38 | 50 |
| Scale | ||
Total units | 387 | 322 |
Net change (latest yr) | N/A | N/A |
Turnover rate | N/A | 1.3% |
| Contract | ||
Initial term (years) | N/A | 10 |
Renewal term (years) | 1 | 10 |
Initial training (hrs) | 240 | N/A |
| Contacts | ||
Franchisee phones | 0 | 0 |
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