FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

A&W vs FATBURGER

Side-by-side figures from each brand's latest FDD Item 20 as we extracted them; verdicts are our opinion under the published methodology, and the source filing and year are on each brand's profile. Green marks the more favorable metric (lower for distress), not a recommendation to buy.

A&W
Proven & steady
FATBURGER
Weaker disclosed record
Verdict
Units · latest run
-1.9% (2023–2025)
Net unit change
-12.8% (2022–2024)
Fair
Exit quality
Weak
Strong
Transfer / churn
Strong
1.2× expected (19 of 90)
SBA losses vs same-year loans
Too few seasoned loans
—
Distress
—
$30,000
Franchise fee
$50,000
$301K–$1.6M
Investment range
$517K–$2.7M
5%
Royalty
6%
Disclosed
Earnings (Item 19)
Disclosed

A&W

FATBURGER

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