Best Restaurant Franchises of 2021
Looking for a top-notch restaurant franchise to invest in? See below for our top picks.
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.
Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar
- Startup costs: $252,700-$776,750
- Units: 16
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Checkers* & Rally’s
- Startup costs: $254,000-$1,431,000
- Units: 820+
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Slim Chickens
- Startup costs: $915,900-$1,714,000
- Units: 121+
Teriyaki Madness
- Startup costs: $322,000-$862,000
- Units: 200+
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s
- Startup costs: $806,825-$1,288,350
- Units: 150
Famous Toastery
- Startup costs: $601,500-$1,029,500
- Units: 25+
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Toppers Pizza*
- Startup costs: $315,550-$528,500
- Units: 83
Famous Dave’s*
- Startup costs: $482,000-$4,200,000
- Units: 120+
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Mighty Quinn’s BBQ
- Startup costs: $738,488-$896,334
- Units: 7
The Greene Turtle Bar & Grille
- Startup costs: $1,455,000-$1,757,500
- Units: 37
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes
- Startup costs: $403,750-$639,100
- Units: 83
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Cheba Hut
- Startup costs: $463,500-$746,500
- Units: 42
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Atomic Wings*
- Startup costs: $170,400-$377,355
- Units: 21
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Little Caesars Pizza
- Startup costs: $221,000-$654,000
- Units: 5,463
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Wing Zone
- Startup costs: $250,000
- Units: 90+
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Buffalo Wings & Rings
- Startup costs: $1,280,000-$2,412,000
- Units: 80+
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Foster’s Freeze
- Startup costs: $611,500-$1,009,000
- Units: 65+
- 1851 Brand Newsroom
Taco Bell
- Startup costs: $570,600-$3,049,100
- Units: 7,100+
Dunkin’
- Startup costs: $97,500-$1,717,103
- Units: 12,960
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
- Startup costs: $383,500-$2,620,800
- Units: 3,315
Culver’s
- Startup costs: $2,349,000-$5,356,000
- Units: 735
Jersey Mike’s Subs
- Startup costs: $169,001-$804,045
- Units: 1,870+
McDonald’s
- Startup costs: $1,008,000-$2,214,080
- Units: 38,695
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
- Startup costs: $198,500-$543,500
- Units: 830+
Wingstop Restaurants, Inc.
- Startup costs: $374,089-$782,442
- Units: 30
KFC US LLC
- Startup costs: $1,300,000-$2,500,000
- Units: 22,621
Sonic Drive-In
- Startup costs: $361,900-$978,700
- Units: 3,496
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
- Startup costs: $640,552-$1,131,726
- Units: 380
*This brand is a paid partner of 1851 Franchise. For more information on paid partnerships please click here.
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