BurgerFi Franchise Cost 2026: Fees, Investment, Ownership

BurgerFi’s most recent FDD located as of October 14, 2026 lists a $704,750 to $1,171,500 total initial investment, including a $35,000 franchise fee. It also discloses the predecessor’s 2024 Chapter 11 filing and the subsequent asset transfers. The company’s bankruptcy announcement stated that franchisee-owned locations were excluded from the proceedings.

BurgerFi franchise cost from its FDD

The FDD issued June 27, 2025, as amended August 7, 2025 is the most recent BurgerFi FDD located as of October 14, 2026, in Minnesota CARDS. Its cover and Items 5, 6 and 7 disclose:

Cost or fee	FDD disclosure
Total initial investment, one restaurant	$704,750 to $1,171,500
Initial franchise fee	$35,000, included in the investment range
Development reservation fee	$17,500 per additional restaurant, credited toward its $35,000 franchise fee; the remaining $17,500 is due when signing that restaurant’s Franchise Agreement
Royalty	5.5% of Gross Sales, payable weekly on Wednesday, subject to the banking-holiday provision
Marketing Contribution	4.0% of Gross Sales, currently 2.0% to the Marketing Fund and 2.0% to local marketing; the franchisor may change the allocation

Item 5 requires at least two restaurants under a Development Agreement. Item 7 provides one single-restaurant table and a separate five-restaurant development example, not separate end-cap, free-standing and in-line cost ranges. The single-restaurant table includes:

Item 7 expenditure	Low to high
Rent	$11,250 to $33,000
Security deposits	$10,000 to $25,000
Leasehold improvements	$356,000 to $564,000
Equipment, furniture and fixtures	$235,000 to $325,000
Insurance	$6,000 to $10,000
Permits and licenses	$1,500 to $15,000
Initial inventory	$6,000 to $18,000
Signage	$4,000 to $15,000
Grand opening advertising	$15,000 to $30,000
Architecture and MEP drawings	$12,500 to $20,000
Travel expenses for training	$0 to $15,000
Professional fees	$2,500 to $6,500
Opening assistance	$0 to $15,000
Additional funds, three months	$10,000 to $45,000

The $35,000 franchise fee completes that table. Item 7’s rent estimate excludes common-area maintenance charges, and buying real property can increase the investment. No liquid-asset or net-worth minimum was located in this FDD.

Item 12: No exclusive territory is granted; a contract-defined Protected Area has no minimum size and is subject to compliance and reserved rights, including nontraditional locations.

Item 17: The initial term ends at the earlier of ten years from lease commencement or eleven years after the Franchise Agreement’s effective date. Two additional five-year terms are available subject to renewal conditions, including signing the then-current agreement, refurbishment and a renewal fee.

What the franchise site says: Checked October 14, 2026, the franchise page lists a $45,000 fee and $629,900 to $1,011,750 investment. The FAQ lists a 5.5% royalty ‘of revenues’, 2.0% brand fund and 1.5% local marketing, plus $500,000 liquid assets and $1,000,000 net worth per store. The website’s fee, investment range and local-marketing rate differ from the FDD. Use the FDD as the governing disclosure rather than the recruiting website; the signed agreements govern the franchise relationship.

SBA Franchise Directory: BurgerFi appears in the SBA’s Franchise Directory file effective October 9, 2026 (SBA Franchise Identifier Code S0276; franchisor certification marked received). A listing is what a lender checks for brand eligibility; it is not an endorsement, and your own eligibility as a borrower is assessed separately. See how to check the SBA Franchise Directory.

Ownership and the Chapter 11 disclosure

Item 1 identifies the franchisor as BurgerFi Franchise, LLC, a Michigan limited liability company, and its ultimate parent as BFI Restaurant Group Holdings LLC. It names Happy’s Pizza Franchise, LLC and Savvy Sliders Franchise LLC as affiliates. Item 1 describes the acquisition:

Effective February 1, 2025, Restaurant Group sold all of its “BurgerFi” assets to us (BurgerFi Franchise, LLC).

Item 4 states:

On September 11, 2024, International and its affiliates filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code (Case No. 24-12017-CTG, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware).

“International” refers to predecessor BurgerFi International, Inc. The company’s September 11, 2024 announcement stated: “Franchisee-owned locations of BurgerFi and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza and Wings are excluded from the bankruptcy proceedings.”

As reported history, Fast Casual on December 13, 2024 said Trew Capital Management Private Credit 2 received court approval on November 8, 2024 to acquire BurgerFi’s assets and then sold BurgerFi to Happy Asker with court approval on December 13, 2024. Franchise Times in June 2026 named the ownership group Happy Group. The case site records a final decree closing the cases on June 26, 2025. The FDD provides the legal-entity ownership and asset-transfer disclosures for a prospective franchisee.

Other brands with restructuring histories are covered in the MOD Pizza and Pieology guide and bakery franchise guide.

Why it still belongs in your diligence

The FDD’s Item 4 discloses the bankruptcy; Item 3 covers litigation. The Item 3 guide explains how to read those litigation disclosures alongside the bankruptcy history.

Ask what changed after the asset transfers in franchisee support, supply terms and agreements. Review Item 20’s openings, closures, transfers and terminations alongside Item 21’s financial statements with an attorney and accountant.

Checking a brand after a restructuring?

Our free due-diligence checklist covers Items 3, 4, 20 and 21 (litigation, bankruptcy, turnover and financials) in the order an attorney reads them. Plus the due-diligence kit.

Email addressSend me the kit

Optional: connect me with a vetted franchise-development partner if I match what they're looking for. FranchiseFeast may be paid a referral fee for this. It is never required to get what you asked for, and you can withdraw at any time.Your background (optional)Prefer not to sayCorporate or executive backgroundEntrepreneur, no food experience yetI already operate multiple unitsSomething else

Company

The kit is educational only, not legal or financial advice. By subscribing you agree to ourterms and privacy policy. How we're paid, including referral fees:affiliate & referral disclosure.

How many BurgerFi restaurants are there?

FDD Item 20 reports 66 franchised and 16 company-owned restaurants, 82 total, at the end of 2024. This is the franchisor’s year-end reporting-period count and the reference point for that period. The table explicitly states that its data is unaudited.

BurgerFi’s franchise page advertised “125 Restaurants Open and 25 under development” when checked October 14, 2026. Franchise Times reported 76 locations, with four in development near Detroit, on June 17, 2026 (updated July 6, 2026).

These counts may differ in date and scope. Use Item 20 for the year-end 2024 count and ask for the current FDD’s outlet tables and a dated current outlet list before assessing the system’s present size.

Minnesota registration status

Minnesota’s CARDS registry, file 11473, shows an Order of Cancellation dated September 21, 2026 for BurgerFi Franchise, LLC’s registration, citing failure to file an annual report and fee. The record was checked October 14, 2026. Minnesota buyers should ask about registration status.

Questions to ask BurgerFi before you sign

• Can you provide the current FDD and registration states, including the current Minnesota status?
• Have the investment, fee or marketing terms changed since the June 27, 2025 FDD, as amended August 7, 2025, and why does the website show different figures?
• What site-specific costs fall outside Item 7’s estimates, and how would the proposed format affect the budget?
• What changed for franchisees after the asset transfers in support, supply or agreement terms?
• What do the current Item 4 and Item 3 disclose beyond the bankruptcy and litigation in the located FDD?
• What do the latest Item 20 tables show for openings, closures, transfers and terminations, and how many restaurants are open today?
• What Protected Area, reserved rights and renewal conditions would apply to the proposed agreement?
• Will a franchise attorney and an accountant review the full FDD with me before I commit?

For burger peer context, compare Habit Burger, Freddy’s, Five Guys’ US franchise availability and Culver’s. Whataburger’s franchise cost page provides another burger-brand comparison.