Jimmy John's vs Wayback Burgers: Ongoing Fees Nearly Match

This comparison starts with a check on what each brand publishes. Both now put fee, royalty, advertising and capital figures on their own franchising pages, and both cite a current disclosure document. The brand with more than 2,600 restaurants publishes them through its parent, Inspire Brands. The far smaller regional brand publishes a detailed cost page, and then gives two different total-investment figures on it.

Side by side

	Jimmy John’s	Wayback Burgers
First-unit fee	$35,000	$35,000, may be discounted for multiple units
Total investment	$366,200 to $733,500	Its page says both $550,000 to $650,000 and $256,000 to $859,000; FDD Item 7 says $256,000 to $859,000
Royalty	6% of gross sales, weekly	6% of gross sales, excluding sales tax (FDD: the greater of 6% or $400 a week)
Advertising	4.5% of gross sales, weekly (FDD also lists up to 2% for cooperative programs)	4% of gross sales: 2% advertising fund and 2% local marketing (FDD)
Combined ongoing	About 10.5%	10%
Liquid capital	$200,000	$250,000
Net worth	$1,000,000	$500,000
Credit score	Not stated on its page or in its FDD	700 or above
Term	10 years (FDD)	20 years (FDD)
Veteran incentive	VetFran royalty credit of $10,000 per restaurant, up to $100,000 (FDD Item 6)	None found on its startup-cost page or in its FDD
Source of figures	Inspire Brands’ page and the FDD issued 2026-03-26	The franchisor’s own page and the FDD issued 2026-02-12

The ongoing rates are close enough to be a wash, which is the opposite of what most people assume when comparing a national brand with a regional one. Both sit above Freddy’s at 8 percent (5% royalty plus 3% marketing, per its April 30, 2026 FDD) and just under Tropical Smoothie’s 11 to 12; see the royalty and ad fund comparison.

The qualification bars differ in kind, not degree. Jimmy John’s asks less cash and twice the net worth. Wayback asks more cash, half the net worth, and adds a credit-score floor. Those select for different buyers, and neither is simply the easier one.

For another burger-franchise disclosure, see Habit Burger’s franchise cost guide.

The Wayback page disagrees with itself

On one page, Wayback Burgers gives an estimated investment of $550,000 to $650,000 and a detailed breakdown totalling $256,000 to $859,000.

Those are not compatible. The breakdown’s floor is $294,000 below the estimate’s floor, and its ceiling $209,000 above the estimate’s ceiling. Item 7 of Wayback’s FDD issued February 12, 2026 gives a total of $256,000 to $859,000 (approx.), the same as the page’s breakdown, so the wider range is the one that matches the disclosure document. The $550,000 to $650,000 estimate doesn’t appear in the FDD.

The practical point is that a marketing estimate and the Item 7 range are not the same thing, so plan against Item 7 and ask what the $550,000 to $650,000 figure describes. Credit where due, though: a brand that publishes a detailed breakdown at all is giving you more to check.

Wayback is the second brand here to publish a credit-score floor

Its page states a credit score of 700 or above, alongside the capital requirements.

A stated credit-score floor is worth flagging: a credit-score bar is the only qualification you can check for free, today, before contacting anyone or spending anything. If you are materially below it, that is worth resolving before an application rather than during one.

Ownership: one IPO filing, one restructure

Jimmy John’s is owned by Inspire Brands, which Roark Capital backs, per CNBC; its FDD says the franchisor is affiliated with other franchise programs through control by private equity funds managed by Roark Capital Management. CNBC reported on May 8, 2026 that Inspire announced a confidential filing for a US IPO. We have not checked the status of that filing since. A filing is not an ownership change, but it is the kind of event that can precede one, and a new public parent inherits the right to set standards.

Wayback Burgers’ franchisor renamed itself from Jake’s Franchising to Wayback Franchising (its FDD gives April 11, 2025 as the effective date of the name change) and launched Hubspoke Brands, reported by Restaurant Dive in July 2025, as a platform for several new concepts. That is a restructure rather than a sale, and Restaurant Dive reported that the same chief executive, John Eucalitto, remained in charge. Worth asking what a multi-brand platform means for franchisee attention and supply terms.

What the FDDs show, and what to confirm

• What each FDD cover warns about. Jimmy John’s cover lists one special risk, out-of-state dispute resolution in Georgia. Wayback’s cover lists five: out-of-state dispute resolution in Connecticut, mandatory minimum royalty or advertising fund payments, supplier control, franchisees who have signed but not yet opened, and a financial-condition warning that the franchisor’s financial statements call into question its financial ability to provide services and support. We compare that kind of statement with Freshii’s.
• A current unit count. Item 20 of Jimmy John’s FDD shows 2,777 outlets at the end of 2025 (2,737 franchised, 40 company-owned); Wayback’s shows 184 (183 franchised, 1 company-owned). Those are year-end 2025 figures, not today’s, and we did not verify them against another source. Inspire’s page says “more than 2,600 restaurants in four global markets” without a date.
• Whether Wayback Burgers is accepting applicants. Its own franchising materials invite applications; confirm current status with the franchisor directly.
• Litigation history. Item 3 of Jimmy John’s FDD reports no pending actions required to be disclosed and then lists concluded matters and settlements; Wayback’s Item 3 reports no litigation against it and one suit it brought against a former franchisee. Read Item 3 in full rather than relying on this summary. Our Item 3 guide explains how to read the section’s headings and disclosures.

Questions to ask before choosing either

• What does Wayback’s $550,000 to $650,000 estimate describe, given that Item 7 of its FDD says $256,000 to $859,000?
• Which incentive programs in Jimmy John’s Item 6 (standard, early opening, VetFran) would apply to my site and timeline?
• Is a single unit available in my market from either brand, and on what terms?
• What does Item 20 show for each, especially closures and transfers over three years?
• For Jimmy John’s, what would an Inspire Brands IPO change for franchisees?
• For Wayback, what does the Hubspoke Brands platform mean for support and supply?
• What does renewal cost at the end of a 10-year and a 20-year term respectively?
• Will a franchise attorney and an accountant review the full FDD with me before I commit?