---
title: "What Margins Are Typical for a Restaurant Franchise?"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/bd649c25-9c14-445b-ae5b-dfcdd5424ec4
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/what-margins-are-typical-for-a-restaurant-franchise-2717222
category: "Franchise Industry"
industry: "Franchise Industry"
topics: ["Finance & M&A","Operations"]
published: 2021-11-17T15:10:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:13:42.018Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/a2d7ded85884d4c0108002bb8e778b2a5493.jpg
---

# What Margins Are Typical for a Restaurant Franchise?

**TL;DR:** Restaurant franchise owners earn an average of $82,000 per year, with earnings potential depending on the brand. Startup costs can range from $100,000 to millions of dollars.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-11-17. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/what-margins-are-typical-for-a-restaurant-franchise-2717222).*

## Story

A restaurant franchise owner’s earnings potential will depend largely on the brand, but on average, restaurant franchise owners earn $82,000 per year, compared to $24,000 to $155,000 for a non-franchise restaurant owner.

Startup costs, however, can range anywhere between $100,000 to millions of dollars, so it may take time for restaurant franchise owners to be profitable.

A Chick-Fil-A franchise, for example, generates $4.1 million on average annually with an initial investment of $10,000, while 10% of MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Franchise Owners average $1,346,744 with a total investment cost of $403,750–$639,100.

Prospective franchisees are advised to check out a franchisor’s Item 19, the section of its franchise disclosure document (FDD) that outlines the brand’s financial performance. The Item 19 usually includes both gross and net numbers so franchisees have a more realistic idea of the brand’s potential.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Franchise Industry (sector)
- Chick-fil-A (company)
- MOOYAH (company)
- restaurant franchise (topic)
- startup costs (topic)
- franchise finance (topic)
- earnings potential (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/what-margins-are-typical-for-a-restaurant-franchise-2717222). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/bd649c25-9c14-445b-ae5b-dfcdd5424ec4).