Franchise opportunities compared
Subway vs Taco Cabana
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
- Subway figures come from its 2026 FDD and Taco Cabana figures from its 2025 FDD, so the years differ.
- Subway and Taco Cabana disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Only Taco Cabana has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure | SSubway |  Taco Cabana |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $227,000 – $458,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $1,266,500 – $1,334,500 2025 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $15,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 29 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $8.00 Royalty fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 36 | $5.00 Weekly royalty on Gross Sales 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $4.50 Advertising fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 36 | $3.00 National Brand Fund weekly Gross Sales contribution 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 18,773 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 94 | 146 Outlets at end of 2024 2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 53 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −1,360 Calculated: 20,133 at end of 2023 → 18,773 at end of 2025 | −3 Calculated: 149 at end of 2022 → 146 at end of 2024 |
| 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) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| 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 | Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 50% company restaurants $1,829,182 other Top 50% Gross Sales · 2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 25% company restaurants $2,071,533 other Top 25% Gross Sales · 2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 75% company restaurants $1,658,419 other Top 75% Gross Sales · 2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52 +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.