Franchise opportunities compared
Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar vs Benihana National Corp
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar figures come from its 2026 FDD and Benihana National Corp figures from its 2024 FDD, so the years differ.
- Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar and Benihana National Corp disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Only Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure | ANApplebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar |  Benihana National Corp |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $616,682 – $5,822,933 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $616,000 – $6,250,000 2024 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | $40,000 2024 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 17 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $4.00 Royalty rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15 | $5.00 Royalty 2024 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $4.25 National Advertising Fund rate through December 31, 2026 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15 | $2.00 Advertising Contributions 2024 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 1,480 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54 | Not available No reviewed outlet counts |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −65 Calculated: 1,545 at end of 2023 → 1,480 at end of 2025 | Not available Only one year reported |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee's Restaurants — South $2,450,367 other Annualized average gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee's Restaurants — West $3,292,418 other Annualized average gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee's Restaurants — Midwest $2,662,918 other Annualized average gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 +2 more groups in the full report | Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.