Franchise opportunities compared
Ford’s Garage vs Giordanos Restaurants
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
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Ford’s Garage and Giordanos Restaurants 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 (Ford’s Garage: 4, Giordanos Restaurants: 20). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Ford’s Garage | GRGiordanos Restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $2,728,800 – $3,548,800 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $633,000 – $1,590,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $50,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11 | $40,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 5.5% · percent of Gross Sales, excluding Gift Card sales Royalty Fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 | 2% s, including a lower percentage for the Continuing License Fee and an Advertising Fee capped at — 2 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | 1% of gross sales Marketing Fund Contribution 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 | $3.00 ent of daily Gross Revenues in such form and detail as we require. Advertising Fee — 3)(4) Up to — 3 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 34 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 90 | 112 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 50 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +9 Calculated: 25 at end of 2023 → 34 at end of 2025 | −12 Calculated: 124 at end of 2023 → 112 at end of 2025 |
| 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 stated 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 6 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 2014 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 6 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Franchised and company-owned (12 locations) — EBITDA and revenue $674,250 other Operating EBITDA from Operations · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 81 Franchised and company-owned (8 locations) — EBITDA and revenue $163,538 other Operating EBITDA from Operations · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 81 Franchised and company-owned (24 locations) — revenue $5,730,457 other Gross Revenue · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 83 +1 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table 1 Chicagoland Full-Service City / Tourist 6 restaurants other Table 1 Chicagoland Full-Service City / Tourist · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table 3 Chicagoland Full-Service Suburban / Urban $823,118 other Table 3 Chicagoland Full-Service Suburban / Urban · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Table 1 Chicagoland Full-Service Suburban / Urban 29 restaurants other Table 1 Chicagoland Full-Service Suburban / Urban · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47 +17 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.