Franchise opportunities compared

    Chester Fried vs Fundraising U

    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

    Chester Fried

    $27,500 – $301,500

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Fundraising U

    $79,800 – $84,277

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 20

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Chester Fried

    Not available

    Fundraising U

    $60,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12

    Royalty · Item 6

    Chester Fried

    Not available

    Fundraising U

    8%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

    Before you compare

    • Chester Fried figures come from its 2025 FDD and Fundraising U figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Chester Fried discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Only Fundraising U has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Chester Fried

    $27,500 – $301,500
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Fundraising U

    $79,800 – $84,277
    Single territory total investment
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 20
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Chester Fried

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Fundraising U

    $60,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Chester Fried

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Fundraising U

    8%
    Monthly royalty gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Chester Fried

    $10,000
    De-Branding Fee
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    Fundraising U

    $600
    Brand fund monthly one territory
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Chester Fried

    994
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 39

    Fundraising U

    81
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 48
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Chester Fried

    −87
    Calculated: 1,081 at end of 2022 → 994 at end of 2024

    Fundraising U

    +14
    Calculated: 67 at end of 2023 → 81 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Chester Fried

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Fundraising U

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

    Chester Fried

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Fundraising U

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Chester Fried

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Fundraising U

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Chester Fried

    Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

    Fundraising U
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record
    69.47 percent
    other Reported fundraisers COGS share of gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48

    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.

    Chester Fried vs Fundraising U: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Chester Fried or Fundraising U?
    Chester Fried: $27,500 – $301,500 (2025 FDD · Item 7); Fundraising U: $79,800 – $84,277 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 20). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Chester Fried. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Chester Fried or Fundraising U?
    Chester Fried: 994 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 39); Fundraising U: 81 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 48). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Chester Fried and Fundraising U disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Chester Fried makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Fundraising U has reviewed Item 19 figures for 1 location group. 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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