SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES franchise takes $321,000 – $607,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $25,000 – $50,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $25,000 | $50,000 | $25,000 to $50,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $321,000 | $607,000 | $321,000 to $607,000 | |
| 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) | $321,000 | $607,000 | $321,000 to $607,000 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
How SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $321,000 — about in line with the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $25,000 — about 29% below 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 SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2017: began the window at 5 units; 5 units opened, 4 closed, ending at 6 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES 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 SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES 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 SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES 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 SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES 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 SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES 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 SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES franchise
SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES is a food & beverage franchisor with 6 units at the end of 2017 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2017, it began the window at 5 units; its filings record 5 unit openings and 4 closures, ending at 6 units.
Disclosure filings report 5 franchise-related lawsuits. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
The Franchisee will operate either a “SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES” fast serving restaurant or a “SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES” fast serving restaurant featuring Philadelphia-style cheese steaks (thinly sliced grilled steak sandwiches with cheese and assorted toppings), hot and cold specialty sandwiches, french fries, onion rings, and related food and beverages, including beer and wine where permitted by applicable law.
SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES franchise: quick answers
- How much does a SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES franchise cost?
- $321,000 – $607,000 all-in to open, per SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES units are there?
- 6 units at the end of 2017 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have SOUTH PHILLY STEAKS & FRIES | SOUTH PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS & FRIES's units held up?
- 71.4% of units at risk between 2015 and 2017 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).