Franchises
The economics behind 75 brands, read from their own filings.
Built forFranchisors · Operators & first-timers
- Fee load, build cost, and disclosed sales per brand
- How each brand has actually performed in Chicago, not nationally
- Unit economics you can put in front of a lender
Franchise brands
75 brands, with fees and investment read from each brand's own current Franchise Disclosure Document, and Chicago outcomes computed from the city licence history. A franchisor discloses national averages; the Chicago columns are what its outlets have actually done here.
Losing ground in Chicago
Openings minus closings, last 5 years
Gaining ground in Chicago
Openings minus closings, last 5 years
Scaling in Chicago right now
33 brands · no FDD on file with usFound by reading the licence history rather than any published list — brands with at least 3 locations, most opened in the last 6 years, still net-opening. A franchisor's own disclosure reports national outlet counts, so a brand quietly building a Chicago cluster does not show up there.
Pace compares the last 24 months of openings against the 24 before, because who is about to need space matters more than who has grown. Tiers is where the brand actually opens — Pure Green has only ever taken Tier 1, so a Tier 4 pad is not a pitch to them.
| Brand | What it is | Open | Pace | Since | Tiers | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEEP PURPLE / FONS | Health / Juice | 10 | steady2v2 | 2020 | 1, 2 | WEST LOOP, RIVER NORTH, LINCOLN PARK |
| LA MICHOACANA CHICAGO ICE CREAM SHOP | Bakery / Dessert | 10 | accelerating8v1 | 2016 | 2, 3 | BELMONT CRAGIN, ROGERS PARK, AVONDALE |
| Taco Pros | Mexican | 9 | slowing3v4 | 2021 | 1, 2, 3, 4 | OLD TOWN, WEST TOWN, CALUMET HEIGHTS |
| FIXIN' FRANKS | Hot Dog / Chicago Classic | 8 | paused0v2 | 2021 | 2, 3, 4 | AVONDALE, BRIGHTON PARK, BUCKTOWN |
| Pure Green | Breakfast / Diner | 8 | slowing2v4 | 2020 | 1 | LAKE VIEW, LINCOLN PARK, WICKER PARK |
| TACO MAYA | Mexican | 6 | slowing1v2 | 2018 | 1, 3 | LAKE VIEW, RIVER NORTH, LOOP |
| DULCE MAMI CAFE CHICAGO | French / European | 6 | slowing1v3 | 2016 | 2, 3, 4 | GAGE PARK, EDGEWATER, NORTH CENTER |
| BREAKFAST HOUSE | Breakfast / Diner | 5 | slowing1v2 | 2022 | 1, 2, 3 | LINCOLN PARK, UPTOWN, WRIGLEYVILLE |
| SINYA | Mediterranean / Greek | 4 | steady2v2 | 2021 | 2, 3 | ALBANY PARK, NORTH CENTER, HUMBOLDT PARK |
| DOS BROS FRESH MEXICAN GRILL | Mexican | 4 | paused0v4 | 2023 | 1 | LOOP, WEST TOWN, WRIGLEYVILLE |
Descriptive, not a forecast — a brand can scale quickly and still fail. City of Chicago licences only. Suburban locations are not visible in any dataset we can reach, so a brand may be larger than shown.
Releasing space
Local chains closing faster than they open, with locations still trading — space likely to come back to market, and an operator under pressure.
Names are grouped from licence records, so a generic-sounding row may be several unrelated businesses rather than one chain. Check a name in the search below before acting on it.
Check any brand's Chicago record
Searches the full licence history, not just the brands whose FDD we hold — so it works for emerging brands too. Useful for checking a claim that a brand is "already in Chicago" before acting on it.
| Brand | Format | Investment | Fees | Disclosed AUV | Payback | Chicago | 4-yr survival | Trajectory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | Fast Food | $227K–$630K | 12.5% | not disclosed | n/a | 119/401 | 74% | Retreating |
| McDonald's | Fast Food | $701K–$2.81M | 9% | $4.09M | 5.3 yr | 93/248 | 77% | Steady |
| Dunkin' | Cafe-Bakery | $142K–$1.83M | 10.9% | $1.37M | 9.4 yr | 112/214 | 91% | Retreating |
| Jimmy John's | Fast Food | $206K–$734K | varies | $1.01M | n/a | 32/71 | 93% | Retreating |
| Taco Bell | Fast Food | $288K–$858K | 10% | not disclosed | n/a | 39/65 | 82% | Growing |
| Quiznos | Fast Food | $214K–$649K | 9% | not disclosed | n/a | 0/60 | 43% | Exited Chicago |
| Baskin-Robbins | Cafe-Bakery | $307K–$627K | 10.9% | $527K | 12.4 yr | 36/57 | 93% | Steady |
| Potbelly | Fast Casual | $629K–$999K | 9% | $1.34M | n/a | 45/56 | 100% | Steady |
| Pizza Hut◦ | Fast Food | not read | flat fee | not disclosed | n/a | 3/49 | 77% | Retreating |
| Panda Express◦ | Fast Food | $515K–$3.28M | — | $1.72M | n/a | 20/37 | 91% | Growing |
| Wingstop | Fast Food | $310K–$1.05M | 11.5% | $2.01M | 4.4 yr | 33/36 | 100% | Growing |
| Domino's | Fast Food | $231K–$744K | 9.5% | $1.31M | n/a | 15/34 | 70% | Steady |
| Jamba | Cafe-Bakery | $481K–$941K | 9% | $669K | 14.1 yr | 4/31 | 94% | Steady |
| Wendy's◦ | Fast Food | $1.46M–$1.46M | 8% | $1.99M | n/a | 5/26 | 72% | Steady |
| Jersey Mike's | Fast Food | $436K–$1.16M | 10.5% | $1.37M | 7.6 yr | 15/20 | 82% | Growing |
| Einstein Bros. Bagels◦ | Cafe-Bakery | not read | — | $1.08M | n/a | 2/18 | 83% | Steady |
| Caribou Coffee | Cafe-Bakery | $281K–$1.51M | 8% | not disclosed | n/a | 0/18 | 89% | Exited Chicago |
| Sbarro | Fast Food | $212K–$931K | 7% | $724K | 10.2 yr | 4/16 | 67% | Retreating |
| Auntie Anne's | Cafe-Bakery | $158K–$836K | 9% | $792K | 8.2 yr | 9/16 | 70% | Growing |
| Papa John's | Fast Food | $281K–$890K | 11% | $1.12M | 6.8 yr | 7/16 | 88% | Growing |
| Checkers | Fast Food | $449K–$1.92M | varies | $1.14M | n/a | 1/15 | 60% | Steady |
| Rosati's Pizza | Fast Food | $152K–$506K | 6% | $1.28M | 3.2 yr | 9/15 | 78% | Growing |
| Cold Stone Creamery | Cafe-Bakery | $256K–$681K | 9% | $604K | 10.4 yr | 3/13 | 69% | Steady |
| Peet's Coffee | Cafe-Bakery | $1.03M–$1.70M | 6% | not disclosed | n/a | 4/12 | 92% | Steady |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | Fast Casual | $276K–$771K | 11% | $978K | 7.1 yr | 8/10 | — | Growing |
| Qdoba | Fast Casual | $548K–$1.29M | 9.5% | $1.65M | 7.1 yr | 3/10 | — | Growing |
| Arby's | Fast Food | $652K–$2.46M | varies | $1.27M | n/a | 1/10 | 80% | Retreating |
| Crumbl Cookies | Cafe-Bakery | $849K–$1.47M | 10% | $1.14M | 13.2 yr | 2/9 | — | Growing |
| Culver's | Fast Food | $3.41M–$10.29M | 6.5% | $4.14M | 19.9 yr | 8/8 | — | Growing |
| Roti Modern Mediterranean | Fast Casual | $510K–$869K | 9% | $1.20M | n/a | 2/7 | — | Retreating |
| Toppers Pizza◦ | Fast Food | $421K–$733K | — | not disclosed | n/a | 0/7 | — | Exited Chicago |
| Kilwins | Cafe-Bakery | $405K–$880K | 8% | not disclosed | n/a | 5/7 | — | Growing |
| Sushi Avenue◦ | Fast Casual | $19K–$158K | — | not disclosed | n/a | 0/6 | — | Exited Chicago |
| Red Robin | Casual Dining | $2.71M–$5.79M | varies | not disclosed | n/a | 0/5 | — | Exited Chicago |
| Smashburger | Fast Casual | $1.24M–$2.26M | 7.75% | not disclosed | n/a | 3/5 | — | Growing |
| Smoothie King◦ | Fast Casual | $330K–$684K | — | $662K | n/a | 2/4 | — | too few |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | Casual Dining | $2.46M–$4.90M | 9% | $3.57M | 12.8 yr | 2/4 | — | too few |
| IHOP | Casual Dining | $617K–$4.63M | 8% | not disclosed | n/a | 3/4 | — | too few |
| Blaze Pizza | Fast Casual | $757K–$1.30M | varies | $1.34M | n/a | 3/4 | — | too few |
| California Pizza Kitchen | Casual Dining | $715K–$5.38M | 6% | not disclosed | n/a | 0/4 | — | too few |
| Dos Toros Taqueria◦ | Fast Casual | $807K–$2.87M | — | not disclosed | n/a | 0/4 | — | too few |
| The Original Pancake House | Casual Dining | $483K–$1.67M | 2% | not disclosed | n/a | 3/4 | — | too few |
| Buffalo Wild Wings GO | Fast Casual | $376K–$920K | 9.25% | $929K | 9.1 yr | 2/4 | — | too few |
| Popeyes | Fast Food | $505K–$3.92M | 10% | $1.89M | 14.9 yr | 3/3 | — | too few |
| Gong cha | Cafe-Bakery | $207K–$648K | 7% | $397K | 14.9 yr | 1/3 | — | too few |
| Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams | Cafe-Bakery | $698K–$955K | 7% | $983K | 10.6 yr | 3/3 | — | too few |
| Jason's Deli | Fast Casual | $1.71M–$2.52M | 4% | not disclosed | n/a | 1/3 | — | too few |
| MOD Pizza◦ | Fast Casual | $925K–$1.22M | — | not disclosed | n/a | 0/3 | — | too few |
| Dave's Hot Chicken | Fast Casual | $617K–$4.12M | 10% | not disclosed | n/a | 2/2 | — | too few |
| Teriyaki Madness | Fast Casual | $393K–$1.12M | 10% | $1.11M | 8.8 yr | 1/2 | — | too few |
| Playa Bowls | Fast Casual | $282K–$1.06M | 8% | $1.12M | 7.6 yr | 2/2 | — | too few |
| Manchu Wok | Fast Food | $484K–$821K | 9% | not disclosed | n/a | 0/2 | — | too few |
| Applebee's | Casual Dining | $3.19M–$5.82M | 8.25% | $2.95M | 18.8 yr | 1/2 | — | too few |
| Nothing Bundt Cakes◦ | Cafe-Bakery | $475K–$994K | — | $1.34M | n/a | 2/2 | — | too few |
| Pizzeria Uno | Casual Dining | $207K–$598K | 7% | $3.04M | n/a | 2/2 | — | too few |
| Marco's Pizza | Fast Food | $286K–$811K | 9.5% | $878K | 8.2 yr | 0/1 | — | too few |
| Haagen-Dazs Shoppe | Cafe-Bakery | $213K–$592K | flat fee | $721K | n/a | 0/1 | — | too few |
| Cinnabon | Cafe-Bakery | $257K–$704K | 8.5% | $665K | 9.5 yr | 0/1 | — | too few |
| Huddle House◦ | Casual Dining | not read | 8.25% | not disclosed | n/a | 0/1 | — | too few |
| Chicken Salad Chick | Fast Casual | $777K–$999K | 7% | $1.50M | 7.4 yr | none | — | |
| Firehouse Subs◦ | Fast Food | $405K–$1.09M | — | $974K | n/a | none | — | |
| Kona Ice | Cafe-Bakery | $115K–$229K | flat fee | not disclosed | n/a | none | — | |
| Freddy's Frozen Custard | Fast Food | $855K–$1.30M | 7.5% | $1.76M | 7.6 yr | none | — | |
| Little Caesars | Fast Food | $377K–$1.77M | 13% | not disclosed | n/a | none | — | |
| Penn Station East Coast Subs◦ | Fast Food | $441K–$820K | 4% | $1.10M | 6.9 yr | none | — | |
| Donatos Pizza◦ | Fast Food | $547K–$1.06M | — | $1.13M | n/a | none | — | |
| Bubbakoo's Burritos | Fast Casual | $356K–$757K | 8% | $1.01M | n/a | none | — | |
| Wayback Burgers | Fast Casual | $256K–$899K | 8% | not disclosed | n/a | none | — | |
| Cousins Maine Lobster | Fast Casual | $267K–$966K | 8% | $1.30M | n/a | none | — | |
| Pizza Ranch | Casual Dining | $2.31M–$5.13M | 5.75% | $1.18M | 39.0 yr | none | — | |
| Travelin' Tom's Coffee | Cafe-Bakery | $185K–$265K | flat fee | not disclosed | n/a | none | — | |
| Eggs Up Grill | Casual Dining | $822K–$1.14M | 9% | $1.37M | 9.1 yr | none | — | |
| Wetzel's Pretzels | Cafe-Bakery | $189K–$725K | 8% | $837K | 7.0 yr | none | — | |
| Church's Texas Chicken◦ | Fast Food | not read | — | not disclosed | n/a | none | — | |
| Buona | Fast Casual | $3.90M–$5.84M | 5.5% | not disclosed | n/a | none | — |
Watch one neighbourhood.
This page is the whole city. Pick the area you actually care about and we will email you when a new restaurant licence appears there, and stay quiet when none does. It covers openings only: a closure takes about three years to surface fully in the public record, and we will not send an alert we cannot stand behind.
Payback assumes a 2000 sqft build in a Tier 2 neighbourhood and a 9% net margin on sales after franchisor fees and rent. It is a screening comparison, not an underwrite — it carries no assumptions about your COGS, labour, debt service or ramp-up. It shows n/a where a brand's Item 7 and Item 19 describe different populations, because dividing one into the other would produce a confident-looking number with no meaning.
Trajectory is based on the last five years of openings and closings in Chicago, not on the share of all-time openings still open — that share is biased against older brands, whose early locations have had decades to close. A brand can be retreating here while growing nationally; its own FDD reports the national picture.
These are descriptive outcomes. A brand's Chicago record reflects where it chose to open and who operated those locations. It is not a forecast, and it is not evidence that the brand causes survival. Run an address through the revenue forecast for a location-level view.