FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.
Carl's Jr. franchises quick service restaurants offering a limited menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items featuring charbroiled 100% Black Angus Thickburger sandwiches, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, Made from Scratch Biscuits, and other related quick serve menu items. This particular franchise format operates from a Travel Center Location, a facility off an interstate or limited access highway that focuses on services to the trucking industry such as fuel, showers, and truck parking, or from a Gas and Convenience Location, a facility focused on non-commercial fuel service and convenience items including freshly made foods, with restaurants either newly built or converted from an existing quick service restaurant. Some Carl's Jr. restaurants operate as Dual Concept Restaurants that also offer Green Burrito Mexican food products, and the brand competes against national and regional quick service chains, fast-casual and casual-dining restaurants, delicatessens, supermarkets, coffee shops, and convenience stores.
Source: Entrepreneur 2026 ranking/profile data and Franchise Disclosure Document, rewritten by Zorzee
Every value here comes straight from the FDD; anything not yet source-verified stays blank rather than estimated. The Pro figures and full interpretation unlock with a Pro membership.
Every data point Zorzee tracks for this brand, in FDD Item order. Missing source data stays blank; Pro-only interpretation remains locked.
| Item | Data Point | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item 3 | Litigation Actions (total) | 9 actions disclosed | FDD Item 3 |
| Item 5 | Initial Franchise Fee | The Initial Franchise Fee is $25,000. | FDD Item 5 |
| Item 5 | Development Fee | $10,000 per Franchised Restaurant under a Development Agreement for 3 or more Travel Center / Gas and Convenience restaurants (includes the CJR 2024 Travel Center Development Incentive Program); non-refundable, credited against the Initial Franchise Fee at each restaurant's opening. | FDD Item 5 |
| Item 6 | Royalty Fee | Royalty 4%-5% of Gross Sales, due within 10 calendar days after each fiscal week. | FDD Item 6 |
| Item 6 | National Media Fund | Pro | FDD Item 6 |
| Item 6 | Corporate Ad & Development Fund | Pro | FDD Item 6 |
| Item 6 | Total Ongoing Fee Burden | Pro | Calculated (Item 6) |
| Item 7 | Total Investment (low) | $57,000 | FDD Item 7 |
| Item 7 | Total Investment (high) | $97,000 | FDD Item 7 |
| Item 8 | Required Purchases (food/supplies) | Pro | FDD Item 8 |
| Item 11 | Franchisor Assistance | Pro | FDD Item 11 |
| Item 12 | Exclusive Territory | Pro | FDD Item 12 |
| Item 12 | Territory Size | Pro | FDD Item 12 |
| Item 15 | Operating Participation | Pro | FDD Item 15 |
| Item 17 | Initial Term Length | Pro | FDD Item 17(a) |
| Item 17 | Renewal Terms | Pro | FDD Item 17(b)-(c) |
| Item 17 | Required Remodel at Renewal | Pro | FDD Item 17(c) |
| Item 17 | Termination Triggers | Pro | FDD Item 17(f)-(h) |
| Item 17 | Transfer Fee | Pro | FDD Item 17(m), Item 6 |
| Item 17 | ROFR Provisions | Pro | FDD Item 17(n) |
| Item 17 | Post-Termination Non-Compete | Pro | FDD Item 17(r) |
| Item 19 | Revenue Metric Disclosed | Pro | FDD Item 19 |
| Item 20 | Total Franchised Units (2025) | 982 | FDD Item 20 |
| Item 20 | Company-Owned Units (2025) | 50 | FDD Item 20 |
| Item 20 | Total System Net Unit Growth (YoY) | -31 | FDD Item 20 |
| Item 20 | Terminations | Pro | FDD Item 20 |
| Item 20 | Agreements Signed, Not Yet Open | Pro | FDD Item 20 |
| Item 21 | Audited Financials | Pro | FDD Item 21 |
Each signal turns one part of the filing into a read a buyer can act on. Strength means the disclosed data is favorable. In Line means it is typical for the category. Deal-Specific means the term is populated but you still have to model it against your own deal. Concern means the disclosed data is a real risk. The read is free. The reasoning behind it is the Pro read.
Item 19 earnings data is disclosed for Carl's Jr.. The unit sales or revenue metric itself remains locked in Pro; the caution below stays free.
Carl's Jr. trajectory is shown only where source-backed. Missing Item 20 fields stay blank inside the locked layout instead of removing the section.
Source: FDD Item 20 where present. Total system units, franchised plus company-owned. Not financial advice.
9 actions disclosed in FDD Item 3. Case-level detail remains locked in Pro.
Zorzee editorial. Independent analysis. No franchisor review or approval. Not financial advice.
The filing tells you what Carl's Jr. costs to open. Pro adds the read on whether the numbers work for you, in your market, and whether this brand is a business or a job you bought.
Four months of research and more confused than when you started?
You've seen the filings and the numbers. What none of it tells you is whether this is a business that fits your money and your life. That is what fifteen minutes with a Zorzee-approved independent Franchise Consultant is for: whether this brand belongs on your shortlist, and what to validate before it does. Working with one costs you nothing and carries no obligation. Your franchise fee is the same whether you use one or not.
A Zorzee-approved Franchise Consultant never charges you. A franchisor pays the consultant a commission only if and when you decide to invest in a franchise they introduced you to. The analysis on this page earned nothing the moment you read it, no matter what you do next. That firewall is structural, not a promise: Zorzee's editorial earns no commission from franchise placements.
Zorzee earns no commission from franchise placements.
More for Pro readers: Browse the Signal Tracker library, get The Zorzee Report Pro, and access The Zorzee Files.