How much is an Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar franchise? $2,428,029 – $7,084,006 to open, per its disclosure filings
$2,428,029 – $7,084,006
Opening an Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar franchise takes $2,428,029 – $7,084,006 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $35,000 – $50,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 4% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 3%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar cost table
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $35,000 | $50,000 | $35,000 to $50,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $2,428,029 | $7,084,006 | $2,428,029 to $7,084,006 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $2,428,029 | $7,084,006 | $2,428,029 to $7,084,006 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 4% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 3% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
What's in that number — and what isn't
The $2,428,029 – $7,084,006 range is derived from Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar's filed initial-investment disclosure (FDD Item 7 class): build-out, equipment, and opening costs as the franchisor stated them. Your market's real estate, labor, and build-out prices can land you outside it.
Not in the opening number: the ongoing royalty of 4% on sales, the ad-fund contribution of up to 3%, and your operating losses while the unit ramps. Every figure marked "Not disclosed" above is a gap in the filings, not a zero.
How Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $2,428,029 — about 8.6× the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $35,000 — about in line with the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What is the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar franchise fee?
$35,000 – $50,000, one-time, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.
What ongoing fees does Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar charge?
A royalty of 4% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 3%, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.