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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.

FIVE GUYS

FIVE GUYS

Five Guys operates fast-casual restaurants specializing in fresh-made hamburgers, french fries, and related accompaniments prepared according to proprietary recipes, ingredients, standards, and procedures. The franchise business model involves granting rights to franchisees to develop and operate one or more restaurants using the Five Guys System, including distinctive branding, decor, training, and supply requirements, typically under Development Agreements for multi-unit territories. The target market includes consumers seeking high-quality, customizable fast-casual American-style dining in retail shopping centers, urban locations, and select non-traditional venues like airports and arenas.

970locations
$928K–$1376K
Since 2002
Food & BeverageAlexandria, VAFive Guys Holdings, Inc.www.fiveguys.comDisclaimer

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Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee
$25,000
Initial Investment
$927,850 – $1,375,750
Royalty Rate
6.00%
Brand Fund
2.00%

6% royalty + up to 4% creative fund + local advertising not less than 2%

Financial Performance


Item 19 Financial Performance

This franchise did not provide Item 19 financial performance data.

Be careful if you are interested in investing. The lack of financial performance representations may indicate limited data or varying results across franchises.

Extracted Item 19 Section

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How FIVE GUYS Compares

Key Insights

  • Higher investment than 83% of Fast Food franchises
  • Higher than average SBA loan default rate in Fast Food
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
FIVE GUYS
Current
$928K – $1.4M$25K6.0%970
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
135 franchises
$595K – $1.6M$35K6.3%

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 135 Fast Food franchises by location count.

Locations & Growth


Outlet Growth Over Time

Total outlets at end of each year

Geographic Distribution (2025)

Outlets by state across the United States

Top States
1FL
87
2NY
87
3NJ
53
4CA
52
5OH
41
6MA
40
7NC
39
8MD
34
9WA
34
10IN
34
11SC
31
12PA
30
13TN
26
14MN
23
15OR
20

+33 more states

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SBA Loan History


Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for FIVE GUYS franchisees (20102025)

Total Loans
74
Average Loan
$983,168
Total Volume
$72.8M
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.

74 SBA loans on record

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Franchisee Contacts

260 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

260 Contacts Available

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Due Diligence


Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases1

One case involves a current Chief Operating Officer as a defendant in a defamation and related claims case stemming from his involvement with another franchise concept.

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
0
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
12
Transfers
41
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
35

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Frequently Asked Questions

The total initial investment to open a FIVE GUYS franchise ranges from $927,850 to $1,375,750. This includes a franchise fee of $25,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 6.0% of gross sales.