Franopolis
    vs

    Franchise opportunities compared

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program 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.

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program2026 FDDWingstop2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    $259,336

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 26

    Wingstop

    $310,400 – $1,048,500

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    $10,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 16

    Wingstop

    $25,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13

    Royalty · Item 6

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    Not available

    Wingstop

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program: 2, Wingstop: 5). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    $259,336
    Total Estimated Initial Investment for a free-standing or in-line Restaurant: $259,336 to $997,942
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 26

    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)

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    $10,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 16

    Wingstop

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

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Wingstop

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

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    10%
    Marketing monthly maximum gross receipts — 10%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    Wingstop

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

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts

    Wingstop

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

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    Not available
    Only one year reported

    Wingstop

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

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Wingstop

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

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Wingstop

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

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Wingstop

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 155 full-year Franchise Partners
    $190,637
    other First quartile mean
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 57
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchise Partners overlastfiveyears; sample notspecified
    $286,276
    other Five-year highest annual earnings
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 58
    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.

    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program vs Wingstop: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program or Wingstop?
    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program: $259,336 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 26); 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 Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program and Wingstop disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program has reviewed Item 19 figures for 2 location groups; 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

    Keep researching

    Full Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program report

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

    Full Wingstop report

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

    Compare Steak n Shake Franchise Partner Program with

    Compare Wingstop with

    Add a third brand

    Compare up to four side by side

    Explore by brand

    Filter every published report

    FDD glossary

    Plain-language meaning of each Item