---
title: "Best Restaurant Franchises of 2021"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/8a1ba9cf-c355-4e5d-adeb-496d313f9dfe
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/best-restaurant-franchises-of-2021-2715223
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2021-03-11T13:08:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T22:34:08.469Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/59c8aeec0685b80964b28ae53432f7037889.jpg
---

# Best Restaurant Franchises of 2021

**TL;DR:** 1851 Franchise compiled a list of the best restaurant franchises to invest in, including Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar, Checkers & Rally's, and Slim Chickens. The list highlights various restaurant brands with their startup costs and number of units.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-03-11. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/best-restaurant-franchises-of-2021-2715223).*

## Story

The restaurant industry had a rough year in 2020, but franchise brands outperformed their indie counterparts, and everyone still needs to eat. The pandemic forced restaurants to innovate away from traditional dine-in settings and come up with offerings that translate well off-premise.

Now is an especially interesting time to invest in restaurants, as the big brands of tomorrow are probably just getting going today. Below, 1851 Franchise has compiled a list of some of the best restaurants to invest in right now.

- Startup costs: $252,700-$776,750

- Units: 16

- Startup costs: $254,000-$1,431,000

- Units: 820+

- Startup costs: $915,900-$1,714,000

- Units: 121+

- Units: 200+

- Startup costs: $806,825-$1,288,350

- Units: 150

- Startup costs: $601,500-$1,029,500

- Units: 25+

- Startup costs: $315,550-$528,500

- Units: 83

- Startup costs: $482,000-$4,200,000

- Units: 120+

- Startup costs: $738,488-$896,334

- Units: 7

- Startup costs: $1,455,000-$1,757,500

- Units: 37

- Startup costs: $403,750-$639,100

- Startup costs: $463,500-$746,500

- Units: 42

- Startup costs: $170,400-$377,355

- Units: 21

- Startup costs: $221,000-$654,000

- Units: 5,463

- Startup costs: $250,000

- Units: 90+

- Startup costs: $1,280,000-$2,412,000

- Units: 80+

- Startup costs: $611,500-$1,009,000

- Units: 65+

- Startup costs: $570,600-$3,049,100

- Units: 7,100+

- Startup costs: $97,500-$1,717,103

- Units: 12,960

- Startup costs: $383,500-$2,620,800

- Units: 3,315

- Startup costs: $2,349,000-$5,356,000

- Units: 735

- Startup costs: $169,001-$804,045

- Units: 1,870+

- Startup costs: $1,008,000-$2,214,080

- Units: 38,695

- Startup costs: $198,500-$543,500

- Units: 830+

- Startup costs: $374,089-$782,442

- Units: 30

- Startup costs: $1,300,000-$2,500,000

- Units: 22,621

- Startup costs: $361,900-$978,700

- Units: 3,496

- Startup costs: $640,552-$1,131,726

- Units: 380

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Slim Chickens (company)
- qsr industry (topic)
- Checkers (company)
- Rally's (company)
- investment opportunities (topic)
- Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar (company)
- restaurant franchises (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/best-restaurant-franchises-of-2021-2715223). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/8a1ba9cf-c355-4e5d-adeb-496d313f9dfe).