Fuddruckers franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Fuddruckers franchise takes $477,500 – $1,565,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $35,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 4%. To qualify, Fuddruckers asks for $550,000 in liquid cash and a $1,500,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Fuddruckers franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $477,500 | $1,565,000 | $477,500 to $1,565,000 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $550,000 | $550,000 | $550,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $477,500 | $1,565,000 | $477,500 to $1,565,000 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 4% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
See the full Fuddruckers cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Fuddruckers's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Fuddruckers's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $477,500 — about 1.7× 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
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How Fuddruckers's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2013–2016: began the window at 123 units; 14 units opened, 31 closed, ending at 101 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Fuddruckers 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 Fuddruckers 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 Fuddruckers 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 Fuddruckers 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 Fuddruckers 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 Fuddruckers franchise
Fuddruckers is a food & beverage franchisor with 101 units at the end of 2016 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2013 and 2016, it began the window at 123 units; its filings record 14 unit openings and 31 closures, ending at 101 units. Its parent company is Luby's Fuddruckers Restaurants, LLC.
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
The first Fuddruckers opened in San Antonio, Texas, in 1980. The concept was born when our founder, Phil Romano, was unable to find a restaurant that served a great, fresh hamburger in a sophisticated, yet comfortable setting. That first restaurant is still in existence on Botts Lane in San Antonio. While our look has evolved, the Fuddruckers of today still delivers on the original promise of serving only the highest quality beef, served with made from scratch buns and garden fresh produce.
Fuddruckers franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Fuddruckers franchise cost?
- $477,500 – $1,565,000 all-in to open, per Fuddruckers's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Fuddruckers units are there?
- 101 units at the end of 2016 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Fuddruckers's units held up?
- 81.4% of units at risk between 2014 and 2016 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is Fuddruckers SBA-eligible?
- Fuddruckers is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.