How much does an A&W Restaurants franchise cost?
Opening an A&W Restaurants franchise takes a total initial investment of $894,130 to $1,640,034, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median net sales of $1,214,671 across 59 outlets.
The FDD franchises Freestanding Restaurants, Endcap Restaurants, and Non-Traditional Restaurants. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open an A&W Restaurants franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $894,130 to $1,640,034. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Additional Funds – 3 Months ($30,000 to $150,000), On-Site Team Member Training Expenses ($8,000 to $30,000), and Opening Inventory ($9,000 to $16,000).
The initial franchise fee is $15,000 to $30,000.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $15,000 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Grand Opening Promotion Deposit2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $5,000 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Management Training Course Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $3,000 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| On-Site Team Member Training Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $8,000 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $6,000 | $12,402 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Opening Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $9,000 | $16,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $30,000 | $150,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $894,130 | $1,640,034 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
About this total: The printed total was re-read off page 10 and is what the document prints; the provided pages do not show the table's preceding rows.
Source A&W Restaurants, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-27. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 19
What A&W Restaurants franchisees actually report earning
Median Net Sales
$1,214,671
A&W Restaurants' 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the 2025. Basis: Reporting Freestanding Restaurants and Reporting C&G Restaurants, as specified for each table; Table III covers Reporting Freestanding Restaurants that provided profit and loss information.
Sample size: 59 outlets. The FDD also reports average net sales of $1,297,747. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- This Item 19 does not provide data for the 21 seasonal Restaurants (i.e., open less than 12 months based on seasonality).
- This Item 19 does not provide data for the 38 freestanding restaurants without drive-thru (which are no longer being offered).
- This Item 19 does not provide data for the 22 C&G restaurants without drive-thrus (which are no longer being offered).
- This Item 19 does not provide data for the 199 Co-Brand Restaurants.
- This Item 19 does not provide data for the 16 Captive Restaurants.
- This Item 19 does not provide data for the 2 company-owned Restaurants in operation as of December 31, 2025.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new A&W Restaurants outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source A&W Restaurants, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 42, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-27. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 20
How many A&W Restaurants outlets there are, and how many closed
A&W Restaurants ended 2025 with 208 franchised outlets and 2 company-owned outlets. In that year 5 franchised outlets opened and 10 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, A&W Restaurants opened 23 franchised outlets and 25 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 2, from 210 to 208 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 17 were terminated and 8 were not renewed.
On average, about 3.9% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 25.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 213 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 208 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 56 |
| 2024 | 212 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 213 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 56 |
| 2023 | 210 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 212 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 56 |
Source A&W Restaurants, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 56, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-27. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Compare
How A&W Restaurants compares with other Food & Beverage franchises
Measured against the 256 Food & Beverage franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of A&W Restaurants' estimated range is $1,267,082. It costs more to open than 78% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 3.9% for A&W Restaurants. That is lower than 62% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. A&W Restaurants' franchised system shrank 1.0%. The typical Food & Beverage franchise here grew 5.0%.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. A&W Restaurants is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Food & Beverage franchise side by side.
Alert me when A&W Restaurants files a new FDD
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