# Döner Haus vs German Doner Kebab

Döner Haus and German Doner Kebab sit next to each other here because a consultant's desk often has to answer one question: if this candidate is choosing between two concepts in the same conversation, which filing facts actually differ?

| Field | Döner Haus | German Doner Kebab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | German döner imbiss | UK kebab QSR |
| Category | German döner | German döner |
| US offering | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | New York, NY | Auburn Hills, MI |
| Founded | 2023 | 2017 |
| Franchising since | — | 2017 |
| Units | 6 (2026) | 7 (2023) |
| Franchised / company | — | 7 / 0 |
| Typical size | 700–1,200 sq ft | 1,200–1,400 sq ft |
| Total investment | $359,500–$586,000 | $690,500–$1,123,000 |
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | $30,000 |
| Royalty | 3% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 3% |
| Local advertising | Not required | 2% |
| Total ongoing fee | 5% | 11% |
| Initial term | — | 10 years |
| Territory | — | A non-exclusive protected territory with no minimum size, negotiated from demographics. Excludes campuses, sports venues, transport sites and aggregator delivery zones. |
| Item 19 FPR | Yes | Yes |
| Training hours | — | 160 |
| Source | 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document | FDD issued 3 September 2024 |

The useful difference is format, not the shared word "döner." Döner Haus is disclosed as a standing-service imbiss of 700–1,200 square feet. German Doner Kebab's US filing describes a 1,200–1,400 square foot outlet inside a five-outlet minimum. A candidate comparing one shop to one shop is not reading the same purchase.

Fee stack and Item 7 move together in the same direction here: Döner Haus shows a lower disclosed ongoing percentage and a lower issued investment range; GDK shows 6% royalty, 3% brand fund and 2% local advertising, with a higher Item 7 range per outlet. GDK's local 2% can be waived if the store joins an advertising cooperative that can itself levy up to 2%, so the stack on the row is not the last word on advertising cash.

Item 19 is present on both sides. GDK's note is a single franchised outlet at American Dream Mall for a full year. Döner Haus's note covers a short operating history with corporate and early franchised units. Neither sample is a system average a consultant should quote as typical.

Item 20 scale is similar in headline count and different in age. Döner Haus's six units are a 2026 row for a 2023 founding. GDK's seven franchised units are a 2023 year-end count in a 2024 filing, and Item 1 of that filing claimed nine outlets by issuance. Ask which snapshot the current FDD uses.

## Questions this pair actually decides

- Is the buyer underwriting a compact counter shop or a five-outlet development schedule?
- Which Item 19 population, if any, matches the format being sold today?
- What does "local advertising" become after cooperatives, and can royalty or brand fund rise without a cap?
- How many open, transferred and closed outlets sit behind the unit count on each row?

Read [how consultants use this](/how-consultants-use-this/) before treating the table as a shortlist. The [German döner essay](/german-doner-in-the-us/) is the category context, not a third brand.


This is a filing comparison, not a recommendation. Neither column is a winner. Read the full cards: [Döner Haus](/franchises/doner-haus/) and [German Doner Kebab](/franchises/german-doner-kebab/).

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