QSR Landscape

Quick-service franchise brands, ranked by what they cost to run.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill vs The Halal Guys

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and The Halal Guys compared on disclosed fees, investment, units and Item 19 — figures from each brand's source filing.

Compiled from public filings and operator sites Reviewed 2026-08-15

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill Mediterranean & halal
The Halal Guys Mediterranean & halal
10% / 9% Ongoing fee, left / right
$582,014–$1,088,560 / $461,400–$1,333,500 Item 7 totals

Both columns use the same fields as the rest of this desk. This is a filing comparison, not a recommendation. Neither column is a winner.

Field The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill The Halal Guys
What it is Fast-casual Greek New York platter cart turned QSR
US offering Yes Yes
Headquarters West Palm Beach, FL Astoria, NY
Founded 2017 1990
Franchising since 2018 2014
Units 31 (2023) 93 (2024)
Franchised / company 24 / 7 88 / 5
Typical size 1,800–2,000 sq ft
Total investment $582,014–$1,088,560 $461,400–$1,333,500
Initial franchise fee $39,500 $60,000
Royalty 6% 6%
Brand fund 3%, with the right to raise to 4% 2%
Local advertising 1% 1%
Total ongoing fee 10% 9%
Initial term 35 years 10 years
Territory Typically a one-mile radius, smaller in dense areas. Not exclusive. Limited-access venues excluded. Quarter-mile to two-mile radius, set by area
Item 19 Yes. Gross revenues, cost of goods and payroll for six affiliate restaurants, plus the highest and lowest of six franchise restaurants open two years. No
Training hours 240.25 (60.25 classroom, 180 on the job) 160 (24 classroom, 136 on the job)
Source FDD issued 17 August 2023, 2023 May 2024 comparative study of published FDDs, 2024

This pair is the seated-grill versus platter-cart conversation that still lands on the same candidate desk. The Great Greek is disclosed as fast-casual Greek of 1,800–2,000 square feet. The Halal Guys row does not publish a square-footage figure in this dataset; the operating story is a New York platter cart turned QSR, not a full-service dining room.

Term is the filing fact that surprises people. Great Greek’s initial term is 35 years with one additional 35-year term. The Halal Guys row is a ten-year term with one ten-year option, which is the ordinary length in this set. A 35-year term is more time to recover buildout and more years of fees, remodels and restriction. It is not automatically “better.”

Item 19 is present for Great Greek and absent for The Halal Guys in this dataset. Great Greek’s note covers gross revenues, cost of goods and payroll for six affiliate restaurants, plus the highest and lowest of six franchise restaurants open two years. That is a defined population, not a system-wide average. The Halal Guys blank is a blank: do not import a landing-page sales claim to fill it.

Fee stacks sit close together once local advertising is included (Great Greek 10% on the calculable percentage subtotal, The Halal Guys 9%), while Item 7 ranges overlap at the high end and do not at the low end. Great Greek’s low Item 7 is built on a discounted franchise fee available only to owners of affiliated brands; a first-time buyer pays $39,500. Read that footnote before ranking “entry cost.”

Questions this pair actually decides

  • Is the candidate underwriting a dining-room labor model or a counter-and-platter model?
  • Does a 35-year term match their hold period, financing and remodel appetite?
  • Which Item 19 outlets, if any, match the format being sold, and how many franchisees are in the sample?
  • What does “not exclusive” and “limited-access venues excluded” do to the site they already like?

Neither brand is a substitute for the other on the plate. Compare the filings, then eat both.

Read the full cards: The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and The Halal Guys. Figures from each brand's source filing.