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We extract fees, Item 19 financials, franchisee contacts, SBA default rates, litigation, and outlet data from every FDD — so you can compare brands in minutes, not months. Used by multi-unit operators, consultants, and franchise development teams.

CARL'S JR

CARL'S JR

Carl’s Jr. is a quick-service restaurant franchise offering a limited menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner products, featuring charbroiled 100% Black Angus Thickburger sandwiches, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, Made from Scratch Biscuits, and other related quick-serve menu items, including some dual-concept locations with Green Burrito Mexican food. The business model centers on franchising standalone or multi-unit developments of these restaurants to qualified operators, with company support for training, operations, and system expansion. It targets consumers seeking convenient, affordable fast food options in competitive quick-service markets.

942locations
$1488K–$3305K
Since 1984
Food & BeverageFranklin, TNRoark Capital Management, LLCwww.carlsjr.comDisclaimer

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Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee
$25,000
Initial Investment
$1,488,000 – $3,304,700
Royalty Rate
4.00%
Brand Fund
6.00%
Fixed Monthly Fees
$156 – $156

4% royalty + up to 7% advertising + $156/mo technology fee

Financial Performance

Item 19 Financial Performance

Average Gross Revenue
$1,388,797
Median Gross Revenue
$1,317,362

Data Based On: Average revenue for 728 franchised freestanding Carl's Jr. Restaurants during the FY26 Period. Cost percentages are based on 467 California franchised units and 298 Non-California franchised units (total 765 units) from Section II.

* Weighted average of Food & Paper (22.4% for 467 CA units, 26.1% for 298 Non-CA units), Direct Labor (27.4% for CA, 26.3% for Non-CA), and Incentive Labor (5.8% for CA, 5.9% for Non-CA) results in a total weighted average known cost of approximately 56.65% for the 765 franchised units with detailed cost data. This cost percentage was applied to the overall franchised average revenue of $1,388,797. A +/- 2% variance from the weighted average cost percentage was assumed to derive the high and low profit estimates, representing 'Gross Operating Margin before other operating expenses and indirect labor, rent, utilities, G&A, depreciation, interest, and taxes'.

Extracted Item 19 Section

Avg. Revenue: $1,388,797

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How CARL'S JR Compares

Key Insights

  • Higher investment than 93% of Fast Food franchises
  • Higher than average SBA loan default rate in Fast Food
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
CARL'S JR
Current
$1.5M – $3.3M$25K4.0%942
MCDONALD'S$1.5M – $2.6M$45KN/A12,772
LITTLE CAESARS$377K – $1.8M$20K6.0%3,788
AFC$45K – $151K$6K8.0%3,572
KFC (NON-TRADITIONAL)$1.2M – $4.2M$45KN/A3,404
SONIC DRIVE-IN$1.5M – $2.5M$15K5.0%3,120
Fast Food Average
134 franchises
$594K – $1.6M$35K6.1%–

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 134 Fast Food franchises by location count.

Locations & Growth

Outlet Growth Over Time

Total outlets at end of each year

Geographic Distribution (2026)

Outlets by state across the United States

Top States
1CA
568
2AZ
70
3OR
58
4CO
47
5NV
38
6UT
37
7WA
32
8TX
28
9OK
25
10ID
16
11NM
13
12AK
4
13WY
3
14HI
2
15LA
1

+1 more states

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SBA Loan History

Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for CARL'S JR franchisees (2011 – 2024)

Total Loans
12
Average Loan
$2,090,825
Total Volume
$25.1M
Default Rate
0.0%

Loans by Year

SBA 7(a) loan activity over time

* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.

12 SBA loans on record

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Franchisee Contacts

1 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

1 Contacts Available

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Due Diligence

Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases8

Includes disputes related to rescission of development and franchise agreements, alleged deficient disclosures, breach of contract, and non-solicitation/no-hire provisions in franchise agreements. Also includes actions concerning alleged fraudulent concealment, breach of franchise agreement, and monetary breaches.

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
2
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
43
Transfers
5
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
0

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Frequently Asked Questions

The total initial investment to open a CARL'S JR franchise ranges from $1,488,000 to $3,304,700. This includes a franchise fee of $25,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 4.0% of gross sales.