Burger King franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Burger King franchise takes $2,249,200 – $3,320,600 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $50,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 4.5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 4.5%. To qualify, Burger King asks for $500,000 in liquid cash and a $1,500,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Burger King franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $2,249,200 | $3,320,600 | $2,249,200 to $3,320,600 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $2,249,200 | $3,320,600 | $2,249,200 to $3,320,600 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 4.5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 4.5% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
See the full Burger King cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Burger King's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Burger King's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $2,249,200 — about 8× the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $50,000 — about 1.4× 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
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How Burger King's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2021: began the window at 6,368 units; 1,965 units opened, 998 closed, ending at 7,053 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Burger King 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 Burger King for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Burger King is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Burger King grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Burger King can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Burger King franchise
Burger King is a food & beverage franchisor with 7,053 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2021, it began the window at 6,368 units; its filings record 1,965 unit openings and 998 closures, ending at 7,053 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
Over 30 years of consistent growth. Ongoing support. Multiple revenue streams. Whether you’re looking into owning your very first store, or you’re interested in adding to your existing franchise portfolio, Batteries Plus...
Burger King franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Burger King franchise cost?
- $2,249,200 – $3,320,600 all-in to open, per Burger King's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Burger King units are there?
- 7,053 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Burger King's units held up?
- 92.9% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).