Which costs less to open, Long John Silver's or Mahana Fresh?

Long John Silver's: $665,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25); Mahana Fresh: $222,200 – $818,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Mahana Fresh. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.

Which has more locations, Long John Silver's or Mahana Fresh?

Long John Silver's: 479 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 59); Mahana Fresh: 8 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 55). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.

Do Long John Silver's and Mahana Fresh disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Long John Silver's makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Mahana Fresh has reviewed Item 19 figures for 1 location group. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Franchise opportunities compared

Long John Silver's vs Mahana Fresh

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.

Long John Silver's2026 FDD MFMahana Fresh2026 FDD

Initial investment · Item 7

Long John Silver's

$665,500

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25

Mahana Fresh

$222,200 – $818,500

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17

Initial franchise fee · Item 5

Long John Silver's

Not available

Mahana Fresh

$49,500

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12

Royalty · Item 6

Long John Silver's

Not available

Mahana Fresh

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13

Before you compare

Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
Only Mahana Fresh has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

Financial commitment

Disclosure

Long John Silver's

MFMahana Fresh

Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

Long John Silver's

$665,500

Amount (3) Method of Payment (4) When Due (5) To Whom Payment is to be made TOTAL 13 — 665500

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25

Mahana Fresh

$222,200 – $818,500

Total initial investment lower estimate

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17

Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

Long John Silver's

Not available

No single standard fee identified

Mahana Fresh

$49,500

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12

Royalty (Item 6)

Long John Silver's

Not available

No reviewed royalty record

Mahana Fresh

Royalty during first twenty-six weeks — 3% of Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13

Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

Long John Silver's

unts, and other items. Advertising 5% of Gross Receipts for Traditional Restaurants. — 1% — 1%

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17

Mahana Fresh

Advertising and marketing fund contribution maximum — 4% of Gross Sales — 4%

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13

System scale & health

Disclosure

Long John Silver's

MFMahana Fresh

Total outlets (Item 20)

Long John Silver's

479

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 59

Mahana Fresh

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 55

Net outlet change (Item 20)

Long John Silver's

−60

Calculated: 539 at end of 2023 → 479 at end of 2025

Mahana Fresh

Calculated: 7 at end of 2023 → 8 at end of 2025

Outlet exits (Item 20)

Long John Silver's

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Mahana Fresh

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Franchising since (Item 1)

Long John Silver's

1969

From a verified franchisor listing

Mahana Fresh

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Franchisor founded (Item 1)

Long John Silver's

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Mahana Fresh

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

Long John Silver's

Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

MFMahana Fresh

Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record

$1,114,893

other Outlet #1 Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 54

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.

Long John Silver's vs Mahana Fresh: common questions

Which costs less to open, Long John Silver's or Mahana Fresh?: Long John Silver's: $665,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25); Mahana Fresh: $222,200 – $818,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Mahana Fresh. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
Which has more locations, Long John Silver's or Mahana Fresh?: Long John Silver's: 479 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 59); Mahana Fresh: 8 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 55). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
Do Long John Silver's and Mahana Fresh disclose financial performance (Item 19)?: Long John Silver's makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Mahana Fresh 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