How much does a Taco John’s franchise cost?
Opening a Taco John’s franchise takes a total initial investment of $814,400 to $2,039,250, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median performer of $1,176,775 across 248 outlets.
Taco John’s franchises Mexican food restaurants. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Taco John’s franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $814,400 to $2,039,250. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Construction Costs ($335,200 to $650,100), Site Preparation and Completion Costs ($42,200 to $479,300), and Operating Equipment ($131,900 to $360,700). Together they make up about 73% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $40,000, about 4.9% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $40,000 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Ground Lease2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $17,300 | $48,750 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Design Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $13,900 | $55,600 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Site Preparation and Completion Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $42,200 | $479,300 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Construction Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $335,200 | $650,100 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Operating Equipment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $131,900 | $360,700 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Decor2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $35,000 | $55,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Signage and Installation2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $30,000 | $52,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Point of Sale/ | $20,000 | $46,300 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Digital Menu Boards2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $21,400 | $36,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Initial Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $15,000 | $22,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Grand Opening Marketing2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $25,000 | $35,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Pre-Opening Training (Travel and Living Expenses)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $35,000 | $48,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Insurance2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $7,500 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $20,000 | $60,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $25,000 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $814,400 | $2,039,250 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
Source Taco John’s, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 19
What Taco John’s franchisees actually report earning
Median performer
$1,176,775
Taco John’s' 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the 2025 Calendar Year. Basis: 2025 Franchised Restaurants.
Sample size: 248 outlets. The FDD also reports average sales of $1,260,890. 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
- The FDD excluded 2 Restaurants because they commenced operations during the 2025 Calendar Year and therefore had not operated for at least 12 months as of December 31, 2025.
- The FDD excluded 1 Restaurant that was temporarily closed in 2025 due to tornado damage of the Restaurant.
- The FDD excluded 3 non-traditional Restaurants.
- The FDD excluded 7 Restaurants that did not have at least one drive-thru window.
- The FDD excluded 4 Restaurants because they were operating under a prototype of the DT Digital Olé or an earlier concept that was not representative of the franchise offering under the Disclosure Document.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Taco John’s outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Taco John’s, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 63, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 20
How many Taco John’s outlets there are, and how many closed
Taco John’s ended 2025 with 316 franchised outlets and 11 company-owned outlets. In that year 2 franchised outlets opened and 19 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Taco John’s opened 24 franchised outlets and 69 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 45, from 361 to 316 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 7 were terminated, 2 were not renewed, 4 were bought back by the franchisor, and 56 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 6.6% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 15.
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 | 333 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 316 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
| 2024 | 357 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 333 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
| 2023 | 361 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 357 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
Source Taco John’s, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 68-69, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Compare
How Taco John’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 Taco John’s' estimated range is $1,426,825. It costs more to open than 83% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 6.6% for Taco John’s. That is higher than 55% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Taco John’s' franchised system shrank 12%. 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. Taco John’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 Taco John’s files a new FDD
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