Franopolis
    MEvsOA

    Franchise opportunities compared

    M elting Pot Restaurant vs of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    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.

    MEM elting Pot Restaurant2026 FDDOAof Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    $1,617,128 – $2,740,600

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 23

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    $616,682 – $5,822,933

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    Not available

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    4%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar discloses 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 (M elting Pot Restaurant: 10, of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: 6). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    $1,617,128 – $2,740,600
    Total estimated initial investment: $1,617,128–$2,740,600
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 23

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    $616,682 – $5,822,933
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

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

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    5%
    Royalty and Service Fee: 5% of Gross Revenues
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    4%
    Royalty
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    2.2%
    Brand Development Contribution current: 2.2% of Gross Revenues — 2.2%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    4.25% of current
    National advertising fund contribution
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    89
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 57

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    1,480
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    −4
    Calculated: 93 at end of 2023 → 89 at end of 2025

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    −65
    Calculated: 1,545 at end of 2023 → 1,480 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

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

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

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

    M elting Pot Restaurant

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    MEM elting Pot Restaurant
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-Owned Restaurants; food and beverage costs as a percentage of yearly gr…
    $21
    other Company-Owned Restaurant food and beverage costs
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-owned restaurants; fiscal year ended March 31, 2025.
    $21
    other Company-Owned Restaurant food and beverage costs
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-Owned Restaurants, Top Half, full 12-month fiscal year ended March 31,…
    $3,357,256
    other Company-Owned Restaurants Top Half
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 56
    +7 more groups in the full report
    OAof Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee’s Restaurants in the South, active and operatin…
    $2,361,192
    other South median gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee’s Restaurants in the Midwest that were active a…
    $2,662,918
    other Midwest annualized average gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee’s Restaurants in the Northeast that were active…
    $3,830,089
    other Northeast annualized average gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53
    +3 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.

    M elting Pot Restaurant vs of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: common questions

    Which costs less to open, M elting Pot Restaurant or of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar?
    M elting Pot Restaurant: $1,617,128 – $2,740,600 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 23); of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: $616,682 – $5,822,933 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do M elting Pot Restaurant and of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar royalties compare?
    M elting Pot Restaurant: 5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15); of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: 4% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, M elting Pot Restaurant or of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar?
    M elting Pot Restaurant: 89 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 57); of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: 1,480 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do M elting Pot Restaurant and of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    M elting Pot Restaurant has reviewed Item 19 figures for 10 location groups; of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar has reviewed Item 19 figures for 6 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

    Keep researching

    ME

    Full M elting Pot Restaurant report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    OA

    Full of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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