How much does a Checkers & Rally's franchise cost?
Opening a Checkers & Rally's franchise takes a total initial investment of $449,000 to $1,915,000, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median net sales 2025 fiscal year of $1,102,416 across 320 outlets.
Checkers/Rally’s franchises Restaurants in six formats: modular design drive-thru, conversion, site built, endcap strip-center, in-line in a high-density market, and Non-Traditional, Walmart, and sports arena. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Checkers & Rally's franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $449,000 to $1,915,000. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Restaurant Building Costs ($210,000 to $1,250,000), Restaurant Equipment & Technology ($125,000 to $340,000), and Additional Funds - 3 Months ($50,000 to $120,000). Together they make up about 89% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $20,000 to $30,000, about 4.5% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 21 | $20,000 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 21 |
| Initial Advertising Deposit2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $15,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Asset Transfer Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $0 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Restaurant Building Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $210,000 | $1,250,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Restaurant Equipment & Technology2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $125,000 | $340,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Soft Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $13,000 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Signage including Menuboards2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $12,000 | $108,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $4,000 | $12,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 | $50,000 | $120,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 22 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 21-22 | $449,000 | $1,915,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 21-22 |
Source Checkers & Rally's, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 21-22, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 19
What Checkers & Rally's franchisees actually report earning
Median Net Sales 2025 Fiscal Year
$1,102,416
Checkers & Rally's' 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the 2025 Fiscal Year. Basis: Franchised Checkers Restaurants.
Sample size: 320 outlets. The FDD also reports average net sales 2025 fiscal year of $1,136,589. 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
- Table A does not include the Net Sales for 2 company-owned and 12 franchised Checkers Restaurants that were open for less than 350 days during the 2025 Fiscal Year.
- Table A also excludes 1 company-owned and 35 franchised Checkers Restaurants that closed during the 2025 Fiscal Year.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Checkers & Rally's outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Checkers & Rally's, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 64-69, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 20
How many Checkers & Rally's outlets there are, and how many closed
Checkers & Rally's ended 2025 with 332 franchised outlets and 121 company-owned outlets. In that year 12 franchised outlets opened and 37 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Checkers & Rally's opened 50 franchised outlets and 102 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 52, from 384 to 332 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 102 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 9.1% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 11.
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 | 357 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 332 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 75 |
| 2024 | 378 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 357 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 75 |
| 2023 | 384 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 378 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 75 |
Source Checkers & Rally's, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 74, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Compare
How Checkers & Rally's 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 Checkers & Rally's' estimated range is $1,182,000. It costs more to open than 77% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 9.1% for Checkers & Rally's. That is higher than 70% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Checkers & Rally's' franchised system shrank 14%. 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. Checkers & Rally's 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 Checkers & Rally's files a new FDD
Franchisors reissue their FDD at least once a year, and the Item 7 and Item 19 figures move. Leave an email and we will send you Checkers & Rally's' updated numbers when the next document is published, plus the brand-comparison worksheet.
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