Franchise opportunities compared

    Burger King vs Jimmy John's

    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.

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Burger King

    $564,600 – $979,100

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Jimmy John's

    $206,200 – $686,000

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Burger King

    $50,000

    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 29

    Jimmy John's

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Burger King

    4.5%

    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34

    Jimmy John's

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 35

    Before you compare

    • Burger King figures come from its 2025 FDD and Jimmy John's figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Burger King and Jimmy John's disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Burger King: 80, Jimmy John's: 8). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Burger King

    $564,600 – $979,100
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Jimmy John's

    $206,200 – $686,000
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Burger King

    $50,000
    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 29

    Jimmy John's

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Burger King

    4.5%
    Royalty rate
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34

    Jimmy John's

    6%
    Royaltyweekly GrossSales
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 35
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Burger King

    4.5%
    Advertising contribution as of Jan 1 2025 — 4.5%
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 43

    Jimmy John's

    2%
    Cooperativeadvertising maximum — 2%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 35

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Burger King

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts

    Jimmy John's

    2,777
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Burger King

    Not available
    Only one year reported

    Jimmy John's

    +140
    Calculated: 2,637 at end of 2022 → 2,777 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Burger King

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Jimmy John's

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Burger King

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Jimmy John's

    1993
    From a verified franchisor listing
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Burger King

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Jimmy John's

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Burger King
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Non-Traditional Restaurants, consolidated
    100 percent
    other Non-Traditional annual sales distribution
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 102
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Remodel scope Grand Total
    1,031 units
    other Remodel scope
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 108
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Non-Traditional Restaurants, franchisee-owned
    8.4 percent
    other Non-Traditional annual sales distribution
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 102
    +77 more groups in the full report
    Jimmy John's
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 1st Quartile
    $1,490,247
    other 1st Quartile
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 89
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 2nd Quartile
    $1,212,584
    other 2nd Quartile
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 89
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 3rd Quartile
    645 restaurants
    other 3rd Quartile
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 89
    +5 more groups in the full report

    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.

    Burger King vs Jimmy John's: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Burger King or Jimmy John's?
    Burger King: $564,600 – $979,100 (2025 FDD · Item 7); Jimmy John's: $206,200 – $686,000 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Jimmy John's. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do Burger King and Jimmy John's royalties compare?
    Burger King: 4.5% (2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 34); Jimmy John's: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 35). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Do Burger King and Jimmy John's disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Burger King has reviewed Item 19 figures for 80 location groups; Jimmy John's has reviewed Item 19 figures for 8 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

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