QSR Landscape

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

Capriotti's franchise

Capriotti's: $417,100–$748,500 total investment, $40,000 franchise fee, 9.5% total ongoing fee. Read out of the filings.

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

9.5% Total ongoing fee
$417,100–$748,500 Total investment
145 Units, 2024
1976 Founded
1991 Franchising since
NV Las Vegas
Typical size, sq ft
Yes Item 19

No protected territory, and a technology fee of 0.65% of gross sales on top of the royalty and the funds.

Fees

Initial franchise fee $40,000
Royalty 6–7%
Brand fund 2%, rising to as much as 4%
Local advertising 1.5%
Total ongoing 9.5% of gross sales
Grand opening $30,000
Transfer fee The greater of $10,000 or 5%, capped at $20,000
Renewal fee $10,000

Opening one

Total investment $417,100–$748,500
Training 55 hours classroom, 270 on the job
Territory No protected area
Initial term 10 years
Renewal One ten-year option

The system

Format Submarine sandwiches
Headquarters Las Vegas, NV
Founded 1976
Franchising since 1991
Units 145, of which 135 franchised and 10 company-owned
Item 19 Yes. A financial performance representation is made.

An older sandwich benchmark

Capriotti’s is a submarine-sandwich system headquartered in Las Vegas. Its official company history traces the first Wilmington, Delaware shop to 1976; the dataset records franchising from 1991. The May 2024 comparative study reports 145 outlets: 135 franchised and ten company-owned. That makes it the second-largest system in this set, but scale is context rather than a quality score.

The menu model is also a useful adjacent comparison. Capriotti’s consumer site centers made-to-order subs and catering, a different production line from vertical-spit döner but one that can compete for a similar lunch occasion and retail site.

The stack does not capture every charge

The filing discloses a 6–7% royalty. The directory uses the low end for its ranking and prints the full band here. It adds a 2% brand fund and 1.5% local advertising to produce the comparable fee stack. The brand fund may rise to 4%.

A separate technology fee of 0.65% of gross sales sits outside the three components used in that ranking. It is not hidden or converted into the stack: the metric is royalty plus advertising requirements, not every recurring payment. A buyer comparing the real cash burden must add technology and any other applicable Item 6 charges separately.

Item 7 is $417,100 to $748,500. The study records an Item 19, 55 classroom training hours and 270 on the job. The agreement offers no protected territory; the initial term is ten years with one ten-year option. Capriotti’s therefore provides a mature-system benchmark, while the rate band, escalatable fund and unprotected territory still require current-document review rather than reliance on brand age.

Figures from May 2024 comparative study of published FDDs · dataset year 2024.