FAT Brands Franchise Information

Own a FAT Brands Franchise

Do you have prior restaurant experience? *
When would you like to start developing? *

ABOUT FAT BRANDS

  • How much it costs
  • What is FAT Brands?
  • What Makes FAT Brands Unique?
  • Why You?
  • Why Now?
  • How Much Does it Cost?
$349,000 to $5,107,000
Start-Up Cost
Varies per brand
Initial Franchise Fee
Varies per brand
Royalty

FAT Brands, Inc operates as a leading global franchising company that strategically acquires, markets, and develops fast casual, quick-service, casual dining, and polished casual dining concepts around the world. The Company currently owns 17 restaurant brands: Round Table Pizza, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Twin Peaks, Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, Elevation Burger, Native Grill & Wings, and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses.

By incorporating the existing management teams of the thriving franchise brands it acquires, FAT Brands has developed one of the strongest leadership teams in franchising. If a franchisee or employee at any of the franchisor's brands runs into a challenge, FAT Brands has a leader who knows exactly how to address it. 

In 2021 alone, FAT Brands sold over 300 franchise units across its system, and that growth is continuing at a rapid pace, despite the various challenges facing the foodservice industry at large. While other brands are struggling to contend with labor shortages and supply chain crises, FAT Brands has leveraged its immense purchasing power, marketing muscle, and relationships with distributors and vendors to help franchise owners thrive and grow.

And because FAT Brands’ portfolio of franchise brands offers complementary development opportunities, franchise owners can seamlessly grow their own portfolio without having to branch into new markets when their territory maxes out for a specific brand.

FAT Brands is built to attract savvy entrepreneurs who know the value of opening a small business backed by a global powerhouse. Thanks to FAT Brands’ proven operational models and unmatched support from industry leading executives and resources across multiple brand platforms, extensive restaurant experience is not a prerequisite for ownership depending on the brand. Franchise owners with FAT Brands must be business savvy, passionate and know how to execute on a proven playbook.

Since its founding, FAT Brands has acquired a diverse and complementary portfolio of foodservice brands across the fast-casual, quick-service, casual dining and polished casual dining segments, making it one of the strongest franchisors in the industry. Today, FAT Brands boasts $600 million in purchasing power and is set to have over $2.2 billion in sales in 2022. Now, the franchisor is shifting its focus from acquiring brands to supporting organic growth within its existing franchise network, meaning franchise owners have a tremendous opportunity to rapidly grow with the backing of a global powerhouse with resources and support unmatched by traditional franchise models.

The cost to open a FAT Brands franchise concept ranges from $349,000.00 to $5,107,000.00.

Visit fatbrands.com for more info.

Executive Q&A

Executive Q&A with FAT Brands

How FAT Brands Became One of Franchising’s Best Bets

CEO Andy Wiederhorn tells 1851 Franchise how the restaurant franchisor grew from a single burger chain to a multi-brand powerhouse.

1851 Franchise: Tell us about the history of FAT Brands.

Andy Wiederhorn: We acquired Fatburger in 2003. At that time, the chain was half corporate-owned stores and half franchisee-owned. Originally, it was just a financing deal; they were looking for a buy-out, and I thought it was a good opportunity. But the more I got involved in the business, the more potential I saw for it to scale, particularly through franchising. So we took on an equity ownership role and converted the chain into a full franchise model. 

We quickly saw tremendous growth with the franchise-exclusive model, and we realized that was a reliable way to scale multiple brands. So we established FAT Brands as a way to replicate Fatburger’s growth across multiple new restaurant franchise acquisitions. Our first acquisition was Buffalo’s Cafe in 2011. Since then, we’ve continued to acquire and grow new brands. In 2017, we took FAT Brands public and really ramped up our acquisition strategy. Today, we have 17 fast casual, QSR, casual and polished casual restaurant brands under the FAT Brands umbrella.

1851: What void does FAT Brands fill in the marketplace?

Wiederhorn: We offer franchisees the unique competitive advantage of being able to grow a thriving portfolio of complementary brands in a single market, with a single management team and a single franchisor. Most brands will hit capacity in a market before the franchisee is ready to stop growing, which means they either have to move to another market — which can disrupt or complicate operations — or they have to join another franchisor. Our brands are best in class in a range of different categories, so owners can scale quickly and seamlessly with a diverse portfolio and without having to set up operations in different markets.

1851: What are some of FAT Brands’ key differentiators?

Wiederhorn: One of the things I’m most proud of is our leadership team, which is so much stronger than any other franchisors out there. One of the great advantages of acquiring so many great brands is taking on their management teams, each of which has experts in a range of segments. When someone at any level of any of our brands runs into a challenge, we have a leader who knows exactly how to address it.

1851: What are some of the key milestones FAT Brands has hit in recent years?

Wiederhorn: Taking the company public in 2017 was a big one. Around the same time, we also started using capital markets, which allowed us to raise capital to acquire more brands, and that was a critical step forward for us. We’ve grown by 600% just since 2020. No other franchisor can say that. 

1851: Why is now the time for franchisees to join FAT Brands?

Wiederhorn: Since FAT Brands’ founding, and over the past five years especially, we have acquired a diverse and complementary portfolio of brands that have made us one of the strongest franchisors in the industry. Today, we have $600 million in purchasing power and are expected to have $2.2 billion in sales in 2022. It is hard to overstate the advantage that foundation gives to franchisees. They get the marketing muscle, distribution, vendor relationships, leadership and resources of a company far larger than any of our individual brands or the vast majority of franchise brands out there. It’s an incredibly compelling financial proposition for savvy entrepreneurs. 

Franchise Growth Markets
  • Top Growth Market
  • Unavailable Markets
  • Expanding

Own a FAT Brands Franchise

Do you have prior restaurant experience? *
When would you like to start developing? *