Five Guys Franchise Availability in the US (October 2026)

Five Guys accepts US franchise inquiries as of October 14, 2026. Its franchise page says it is “currently seeking franchise partners in select markets across North America, Europe, the Middle East and APAC region”, and its inquiry form includes the United States and Canada. It does not list which US markets are available, so an inquiry is not confirmation that a particular territory is open.

The June 30, 2026 US FDD discloses a $927,850 to $1,375,750 restaurant investment range, excluding required Development Agreement payments detailed below. Qualification requirements, opening costs, and territory availability are separate questions.

Does Five Guys franchise?

Yes. Five Guys uses both franchised and company-owned restaurants. Its current franchise page invites inquiries, including from North America. Whether a particular US market is available requires confirmation from the franchise sales team.

What changed on Five Guys’ franchise page

On July 31, 2026, the same page stated: “Franchise opportunities are sold out in the United States and Canada, where our franchisees are actively developing their territories.” That statement no longer appears on the page checked October 14, 2026.

The current wording is: “We are currently seeking franchise partners in select markets across North America, Europe, the Middle East and APAC region.” The inquiry form now includes the United States and Canada. This supports submitting a North America inquiry, but does not establish availability in every city or explain why the wording changed.

Where Five Guys is accepting franchise inquiries

As of October 14, 2026, Five Guys names North America, Europe, the Middle East and APAC as regions where it seeks partners in select markets. Country choices in an inquiry form are not a list of confirmed open territories. Its form labels South America and Africa as having no franchise opportunities currently available.

The website’s FAQ publishes these requirements without limiting them to international applicants:

Requirement	Published figure or condition, checked October 14, 2026
Franchise fee	$25,000
Development fee	$50,000
Liquid capital	Over $2,500,000
Net worth	Over $5,000,000
Royalty	6% in the website FAQ; see the FDD’s geographic exception below
Experience	Prior restaurant, franchising and/or business ownership experience required
Operating partner	Must have equity in the company
US veteran discount	$10,000 off the initial franchise fee for a qualified, honorably discharged US veteran with a DD 214 opening a first restaurant

The page also requires real estate experience in the market to be developed, plus infrastructure and resources to meet the development schedule. Its general requirements text describes a minimum net worth of $5 million with $2.5 million in liquid assets; the FAQ uses the stricter greater-than figures shown above.

Five Guys franchise cost from its June 30, 2026 FDD

The source is Five Guys Franchisor, LLC’s FDD issued June 30, 2026, available through Minnesota CARDS, document 37173-202608-08, file 10405. The cover estimates $927,850 to $1,375,750 to establish one restaurant under the Development Agreement. That range includes $25,350 paid to the franchisor or its affiliates under the Franchise Agreement.

The range excludes $50,000 per restaurant under the Development Agreement, or $125,000 per restaurant in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico, plus $2,100 in transportation expenses. A Development Agreement is required even for one restaurant. These development costs must be considered separately from the restaurant investment range.

Item 7 investment summary. The Franchise Agreement table includes:

Expenditure	Estimated amount
Franchise fee	$25,000
Leasehold improvements	$500,000 to $750,000
Lease payments and other rental expenses	$7,500 to $25,000
Furniture, fixtures, equipment and decor	$300,000 to $400,000
Signage	$20,000 to $40,000
Initial inventory	$10,000 to $15,000
Architectural/engineering	$15,000 to $30,000
POS systems	$20,000 to $35,000
Travel, lodging and meals for initial training	$100 to $5,000
Business supplies	$4,000 to $8,500
Business licenses, permits and utility deposits	$5,000 to $15,000
Delivery and catering expenses	$500 to $1,000
Insurance deposits and premiums	$750 to $1,250
Additional funds for the first three months	$20,000 to $25,000
Total, excluding Development Agreement costs	$927,850 to $1,375,750

These are estimates, not a quote for a particular site. See FDD Item 7 explained for how to read the investment table and its notes.

Item 6 royalty and advertising. The royalty is 6% of Gross Sales, or 8% of Gross Sales for restaurants in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico. The advertising rows state:

Obligation	Item 6 terms
Creative Fund	Up to 4% of Gross Sales; currently 2%
Local advertising	Amount column says “Not less than 2% of Gross Sales”; remarks say Five Guys may require spending up to 2% annually
Cooperative advertising	Maximum 1.5% of Gross Sales, credited toward local advertising; contributions may be allocated to the Creative Fund

Item 6 caps aggregate required Creative Fund, cooperative and local advertising contributions or expenditures at 4% of Gross Sales. The local advertising row uses different wording in its amount and remarks columns; ask Five Guys to clarify the obligation in the agreement offered to you.

Item 12 territory. Development territory is not exclusive; restaurant protection depends on the assigned Primary Area of Responsibility, which may be limited to the restaurant’s physical space and then provides no exclusive territory.

Item 17 term and renewal. The franchise term is 10 years, with additional consecutive 10-year renewal terms subject to conditions. These include at least seven months’ notice, updating equipment and premises, compliance with agreements, continued possession of the site, signing the current agreement and a general release, and meeting qualification and training requirements.

Item 20 outlet counts. At fiscal year-end 2025, the FDD reports 970 franchised restaurants and 613 company-owned restaurants, totaling 1,583. These are the FDD’s year-end counts, not a current worldwide location count.

Can I open a Five Guys in New York City or Queens?

Five Guys’ page checked October 14, 2026 invites North America inquiries for “select markets” and does not list which US markets are open. Ask its franchise sales team whether Queens or another NYC market is available.

New York is a franchise-registration state. The FDD you receive must be registered there unless an exemption applies. The June 30, 2026 FDD’s state-law disclosure identifies New York among states requiring registration, filing or an exemption; it does not establish current registration status for an offer today.

Other burger franchises to compare

Smashburger: Its franchise page, checked October 14, 2026, lists 176 locations, 29 US states, and 6 countries. Its inquiry form screens for $2 million-plus net worth and $500,000 in liquid assets. Confirm availability for your proposed market directly with Smashburger.

Wayback Burgers: Its franchising page, checked October 14, 2026, publishes “an estimated initial investment starting at $550K.*” and a $550,000 to $650,000 estimated initial investment range. Confirm the estimate’s assumptions and your market’s availability directly with Wayback.

For other brand profiles, compare Freddy’s franchise cost, Culver’s franchise cost, Habit Burger franchise cost, BurgerFi franchise cost, and Whataburger franchise cost. The Jimmy John’s vs. Wayback Burgers comparison provides another comparison to review.

Compare Five Guys with other burger brands

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The bottom line

Five Guys’ October 14, 2026 franchise page invites inquiries for select North American markets and includes the United States and Canada in its form. Contact its franchise sales team about your specific market, then review the applicable FDD and agreements. The published financial requirements and June 30, 2026 cost estimates do not confirm territory availability or replace the terms of an offer. In another category, Costa Coffee’s US partnering page listed franchise among its offerings but published no US franchise terms as of October 14, 2026; see the Costa Coffee US availability review.

Sourcing standards: editorial methodology.