Sonic franchise cost 2026
From the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document of Sonic Franchising LLC, registered in Wisconsin (filing 640453, effective 3/26/2026). Every number links to the page it was read from.
| Total initial investment | $1,485,200 to $2,522,900 | p.38 |
| Initial franchise fee | $15,000 | p.28 |
| Royalty | 5% of Gross Sales | p.30 |
| Advertising fund | not stated | |
| Item 19 financial performance | None: None | p.70 |
| Units, end of 2025 | 3,412 | p.74 |
Units by year (Item 20, Table 1)
| Type | Year | Start | End | Net change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| franchised | 2023 | 3,220 | 3,194 | -26 | p.74 |
| company owned | 2023 | 326 | 327 | 1 | p.74 |
| total | 2023 | 3,546 | 3,521 | -25 | p.74 |
| franchised | 2024 | 3,194 | 3,144 | -50 | p.74 |
| company owned | 2024 | 327 | 317 | -10 | p.74 |
| total | 2024 | 3,521 | 3,461 | -60 | p.74 |
| franchised | 2025 | 3,144 | 3,120 | -24 | p.74 |
| company owned | 2025 | 317 | 292 | -25 | p.74 |
| total | 2025 | 3,461 | 3,412 | -49 | p.74 |
Openings and closures, system totals (Item 20, Table 3)
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3,220 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 3,194 | p.79 |
| 2024 | 3,194 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 3,144 | p.79 |
| 2025 | 3,144 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 3,120 | p.79 |
Estimated initial investment (Item 7)
| Expenditure | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15,000 | $15,000 | p.37 |
| Travel and living expenses during training | $8,200 | $93,600 | p.37 |
| Crew training expenses | $15,200 | $42,500 | p.37 |
| Prepaid expenses | $2,000 | $125,000 | p.37 |
| Real property/occupancy charge | None | None | p.37 |
| Building costs | $600,000 | $800,000 | p.37 |
| Site work | $450,000 | $700,000 | p.38 |
| Restaurant equipment | $175,000 | $310,000 | p.38 |
| Point-of-sale system ("POS"), digital menu housings ("POPS") & other technology | $105,000 | $160,000 | p.38 |
| External Signage | $50,000 | $80,000 | p.38 |
| Beginning Inventory | $20,000 | $50,000 | p.38 |
| Advertising funds | $2,000 | $5,000 | p.38 |
| Insurance premiums | $11,000 | $22,000 | p.38 |
| Payroll | $26,800 | $94,800 | p.38 |
| Additional funds (3 months) | $5,000 | $25,000 | p.38 |
| Total | $1,485,200 | $2,522,900 | p.38 |
Item 19: what the filing says about revenue
Sonic reports None of None across 3057 outlets.
Scorecard
Rank among the brands on this site that report the figure, on each list's own direction. No blended grade. How the lists work.
| Cost to open | $1,485,200 | rank 8 of 10 |
| Royalty plus ad fund | 5.0% | rank 1 of 10 |
| Three-year unit growth | -3.8% | rank 10 of 12 |
| Closure rate, 2025 | 1.8% | rank 6 of 11 (1 = most) |
| Discloses unit revenue | yes | |
| Litigation disclosed | held | held |
Litigation (Item 3)
Item 3 has not been read for this filing yet, or the two readers disagreed and it is held for review.
The full Sonic report, $49
Every recurring fee, the Item 19 method and what it leaves out, three years of openings, closures and transfers, litigation and bankruptcy items, territory and renewal terms, and the questions to ask existing Sonic franchisees based on this filing. What's in the report.
The Sonic report is being written and will be on sale here shortly.
This is a summary of a public filing, not legal advice. Take the filing to a franchise attorney before signing.
Provenance
Source: Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions franchise filing 640453, effective 3/26/2026, expires 3/26/2027. Extracted 2026-09-03 by two independent passes; only figures both passes agreed on and that appear verbatim on the cited page are shown. 5 field(s) held back as unresolved. How this works.