Overall costs for Wendy's run anywhere from $1,893,500 to $3,708,000. See how the costs break down and what funding options might be right for your new venture into the franchise foray.
How COVID-19 affects franchising costs
Strict sanitation and employee protection measures during the coronavirus outbreak add to the typical costs you face when opening a new franchise. Paired with the unusually heavy amount of promotions that may be required by the franchise, you may not see as much in the way of profits starting out. For more information on what support is out there, read our guide to
loans for businesses affected by the coronavirus.
Estimated initial costs
Our cost estimates are accurate as of 2019 from
https://www.franchisedirect.com and include opening fees and expenses only. Your location may result in higher or lower fees.
Equipment fees
Equipment fees total $497,500 for Wendy's. This costs more than the $180,023 average for the top 200 franchises.
| Equipment and signage |
$375,000 $16,000 N/A to $620,000 $26,000 N/A |
| Estimated total |
$375,000 to $620,000 |
Real estate fees
Real estate will set you back $1,877,500 for Wendy's, which is more expensive than the average of $788,376 for the top 200 franchises.
| Real estate, permits, construction of standard prototype restaurant and site improvements |
$1,240,000 $271,000 $24,000 to $2,515,000 $551,000 $63,500 |
| Estimated total |
$1,240,000 to $2,515,000 |
Training fees
Wendy's initial training costs total $63,000 — more than the nationwide average of $9,788.
| Training expenses |
$26,000 to $100,000 |
| Estimated total |
$26,000 to $100,000 |
Inventory costs
Initial inventory for Wendy's shakes out to $13,000. This is less than the nationwide average of $53,119.
| Opening inventory and supplies |
$10,000 to $16,000 |
| Estimated total |
$10,000 to $16,000 |
Marketing costs
Advertisement and marketing costs total up to $8,750 for Wendy's, beating out the nationwide average of $9,938.
| Grand opening advertising |
$7,500 to $10,000 |
| Estimated total |
$7,500 to $10,000 |
Licenses and permits costs
Wendy's initial licenses and permits will set you back $92,500. This comes out to more than $18,770 — the overall nationwide average.
| Security deposit, utilities, licenses and other prepaid expenses |
$20,000 to $165,000 |
| Estimated total |
$20,000 to $165,000 |
Insurance costs
Initial insurance costs for Wendy's run $22,500. This means you'll be paying more than the overall nationwide average of $6,311.
| Insurance cost |
$10,000 to $35,000 |
| Estimated total |
$10,000 to $35,000 |
Administrative fees
Wendy's administrative fees total up to $55,000 — which comes in over the overall nationwide average of $6,761.
| Application fee |
$5,000 to $5,000 |
| Initial technical assistance fee |
$50,000 to $50,000 |
| Audit |
Costs and expenses of audit, including travel, lodging, wages, accounting and legal costs, and interest on any understated amount. |
| Estimated total |
$55,000 to $55,000 |
Other expenses
Miscellaneous expenses for Wendy's total $171,000 — more than the nationwide average of $69,970.
| Three months' additional funds |
$150,000 to $192,000 |
| Estimated total |
$150,000 to $192,000 |
All costs were found using the 200 largest franchises nationwide using Franchise Direct's list of more than 300 franchises, and are accurate as of 2019.
How to finance
The best way to finance Wendy's comes down to your personal financial situation. What assets you have available will largely determine how much you need to borrow, and which option suits you best. Potential solutions include:
- Bank loan. Your personal credit plays a large role in getting a business term loan from a bank. Typically this type of funding is for larger amounts.
- Online loan. Credit requirements may be more flexible for an online loan than a bank loan, but amounts may max out at a lower amount — typically around $1 million.
- SBA loan. The good part about SBA loans is that they top out at $5 million, but your business has to meet a number of requirements.
- Credit card. Small costs that aren't fixed, such as stray inventory and supply purchases, may be better off on a business credit card. Just make sure you can pay it off quickly to avoid high APRs.
Also check if Wendy's franchise financing is available. You may be able to get some of the costs covered for less than you would with other traditional funding options.
Compare small business lenders
How Wendy's stacks up
Compare how Wendy's holds up against two similarly sized franchises.
| Average Franchise fees |
NA |
NA |
NA |
| Average Equipment fees |
$460,000 |
$497,500 |
NA |
| Average Real estate fees |
$761,250 |
$1,877,500 |
NA |
| Average Training fees |
$48,145 |
$63,000 |
NA |
| Average Inventory fees |
$25,000 |
$13,000 |
NA |
| Average Marketing fees |
NA |
$8,750 |
NA |
| Average Licenses and permits fees |
$10,500 |
$92,500 |
NA |
| Average Insurance fees |
NA |
$22,500 |
NA |
| Average Admin fees |
$4,500 |
$55,000 |
NA |
| Average Personnel fees |
NA |
NA |
NA |
| Average Other fees |
NA |
$171,000 |
NA |
Bottom line
Wendy's franchise costs run a total of $2,800,750. Before you decide to become a franchisee, compare the total costs against industry averages. And to learn more about financing
read our guide to franchise financing.
