Franchise opportunities compared

    Long John Silver's vs Wingstop

    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

    Long John Silver's

    $665,500

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25

    Wingstop

    $310,400 – $1,048,500

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Long John Silver's

    Not available

    Wingstop

    $25,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13

    Royalty · Item 6

    Long John Silver's

    Not available

    Wingstop

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Only Wingstop has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    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

    Wingstop

    $310,400 – $1,048,500
    Total initial investment, excluding real estate
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Long John Silver's

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Wingstop

    $25,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Long John Silver's

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Wingstop

    6%
    Royalty
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Long John Silver's

    1%
    unts, and other items. Advertising 5% of Gross Receipts for Traditional Restaurants. — 1% — 1%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17

    Wingstop

    $5,000
    Transfer marketing expenditure
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Long John Silver's

    479
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 59

    Wingstop

    2,586
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 67
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Long John Silver's

    −60
    Calculated: 539 at end of 2023 → 479 at end of 2025

    Wingstop

    +660
    Calculated: 1,926 at end of 2023 → 2,586 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Long John Silver's

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Wingstop

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

    Long John Silver's

    1969
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Wingstop

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

    Long John Silver's

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Wingstop

    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

    Wingstop
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All Wingstop Restaurants in the U.S. open entire 2025 Measured Period, franchis…
    55 restaurants
    other Systemwide WRI-owned count
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 65
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — WRI-owned Wingstop Restaurants open entire 2025 Measured Period
    $4,038,428
    other WRI-owned highest annual net sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Wingstop Restaurants open entire 2025 Measured Period
    $1,890,866
    other Franchised median annual net sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 65
    +2 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.

    Long John Silver's vs Wingstop: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Long John Silver's or Wingstop?
    Long John Silver's: $665,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25); Wingstop: $310,400 – $1,048,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Wingstop. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Long John Silver's or Wingstop?
    Long John Silver's: 479 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 59); Wingstop: 2,586 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 67). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Long John Silver's and Wingstop disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Long John Silver's makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Wingstop has reviewed Item 19 figures for 5 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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