Franchise opportunities compared
McAlister’s Deli vs McDonald’s Corporation
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.
- McAlister’s Deli and McDonald’s Corporation 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 (McAlister’s Deli: 6, McDonald’s Corporation: 7). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure | MDMcAlister’s Deli |  McDonald’s Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $910,175 – $2,575,400 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $701,000 – $1,472,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $35,500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 27 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $5.00 Royalty fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 29 | 1) — 5% 0- Item 6 Other Fees OTHER FEES Type of fee Amount Due Date Remarks Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $3.00 Advertising Contribution is currently 2% of Net Sales and may be increased up to 3% of Net Sales by notice to franchisees at any time. 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 29 | $4.00 Advertising and Promotion — 5) Not less than — 4% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 1,144 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 85 | 1,370 Outlets at end of 2023 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 45 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +66 Calculated: 1,078 at end of 2023 → 1,144 at end of 2025 | Not available Only one year reported |
| 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) | 1994 From a verified franchisor listing | 1955 From a verified franchisor listing |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top Quartile traditional-franchise quartile 120 units other Top Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 84 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 2nd Quartile traditional-franchise quartile $2,233,065 other 2nd Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 84 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 3rd Quartile traditional-franchise quartile $1,589,119 other 3rd Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 84 +3 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants $20,421,000 other domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants 81 percent other domestic traditional McDonald’s restaurants · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — domestic traditional franchised McDonald’s restaurants $4,057,000 other domestic traditional franchised McDonald’s restaurants · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42 +4 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.