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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Taco Cabana vs Taco Johns

    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.

    Taco Cabana2025 FDDTaco Johns2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Taco Cabana

    $1,266,500 – $1,334,500

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Taco Johns

    $454,175 – $2,034,250

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Taco Cabana

    Not available

    Taco Johns

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Taco Cabana

    5%

    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11

    Taco Johns

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    Before you compare

    • Taco Cabana figures come from its 2025 FDD and Taco Johns figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Taco Cabana and Taco Johns 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 (Taco Cabana: 6, Taco Johns: 15). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Taco Cabana

    $1,266,500 – $1,334,500
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Taco Johns

    $454,175 – $2,034,250
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Taco Cabana

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Taco Johns

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

    Taco Cabana

    5%
    Weekly royalty on Gross Sales
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11

    Taco Johns

    5%
    Royalty
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Taco Cabana

    3%
    National Brand Fund weekly Gross Sales contribution — 3%
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12

    Taco Johns

    4.25%
    Traditional advertising/marketing fee max — 4.25%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Taco Cabana

    146
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 53

    Taco Johns

    340
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Taco Cabana

    −3
    Calculated: 149 at end of 2022 → 146 at end of 2024

    Taco Johns

    −28
    Calculated: 368 at end of 2022 → 340 at end of 2024
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Taco Cabana

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Taco Johns

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

    Taco Cabana

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Taco Johns

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

    Taco Cabana

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Taco Johns

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Taco Cabana
    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
    Taco Johns
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional freestanding Taco John’s 2025 restaurants, Second Quartile
    62 restaurants
    other Traditional freestanding Second Quartile group size
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 68
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional freestanding Taco John’s 2025 restaurants, Lower Quartile
    $931,297
    other Traditional freestanding Lower Quartile highest performer sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 68
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional freestanding Taco John’s 2025 restaurants, Combined
    $1,176,775
    other Traditional freestanding Combined median performer sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 68
    +12 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.

    Taco Cabana vs Taco Johns: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Taco Cabana or Taco Johns?
    Taco Cabana: $1,266,500 – $1,334,500 (2025 FDD · Item 7); Taco Johns: $454,175 – $2,034,250 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Taco Johns. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do Taco Cabana and Taco Johns royalties compare?
    Taco Cabana: 5% (2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11); Taco Johns: 5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, Taco Cabana or Taco Johns?
    Taco Cabana: 146 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 53); Taco Johns: 340 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Taco Cabana and Taco Johns disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Taco Cabana has reviewed Item 19 figures for 6 location groups; Taco Johns has reviewed Item 19 figures for 15 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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    Full Taco Cabana report

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

    Full Taco Johns report

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

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