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Denny'sFranchise Cost 2026

Denny's franchise cost in the US (2026): $245K–$830K investment · $10K franchise fee · 7% royalty — verified from primary sources · data as of Oct 2026

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Operating Locations

Market position · dine-in QSR cohort

Denny's operates one of this cohort's growing breadth networks, with customer response in the middle band.

Mapped against 8 verified peers sharing its industry and store format — network breadth across, observed customer response up. Qualitative bands, relative to this cohort. Tags show how each network is run.

Brands sharing a band sit side by side — the gap between them is a tie, not a ranking.

Denny'sfranchise-owned

IHOPfranchise-owned

McDonald'sfranchise-owned

Chick-fil-A

Culver'sfranchise-owned

Wendy'sfranchise-owned

Jack in the Boxfranchise-owned

Dave's Hot Chickenfranchise-owned

Five Guysfranchise-owned

Denny's and peer brands by network-breadth band and customer-response band
Brand	Breadth	Response
Denny'sfranchise-owned	Growing breadth	Middle
McDonald'sfranchise-owned	Broad	Softer
Jack in the Boxfranchise-owned	Growing breadth	Softer
Dave's Hot Chickenfranchise-owned	Focused	Stronger

+ 5 more peers in the full cohort · all shown on the map above

How this is built. Positions come from source-verified records in the FRANticc dataset — India's provenance-first franchise data platform. Every figure is traceable to a named source, tiered S1 (brand-official) to S7 (estimated, labelled as such). Network positions use only store counts with a documented source; customer response is the review-count-weighted average of documented Google review samples across Indian states. Brands whose network totals conflict across sources are excluded from the map rather than plotted — FRANticc fails closed on bad data. Not an investment recommendation.

Cohort verified 2026-10-22 · relative to this peer cohort

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Enquire about a Denny's franchise ↓

We’ll retain your enquiry for Denny's's franchise team while we verify the correct person to receive it. You can also apply through Denny's's own site below.

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When do you hope to open?

Professional Background

FRANticc operates as an independent research platform. We are not a franchise broker, agent or seller, and we neither offer nor sell franchises. Only Denny's can make a franchise offer, through its Franchise Disclosure Document. How we handle your details

Prefer to apply yourself? Visit Denny's's official franchise site

Frequently asked · Denny's

What does a Denny's franchise cost in the US?

The total investment for a Denny's franchise for the Diner 2.0 Restaurant format is $1.6M–$3.1M. That total includes a $30K franchise fee.

What royalty does Denny's charge?

Denny's charges a 4.5% royalty. A separate 3% marketing fund contribution also applies.

How much space does a Denny's franchise need?

A Denny's outlet needs from 2500 sq ft for the Diner 2.0 Restaurant format.

How many Denny's outlets are there in the US?

Denny's operates 1,212 outlets in the US, and has been trading since 1989.

Who is eligible for a Denny's franchise?

You will need capital of at least $1.6M, a site of 2500+ sq ft, readiness for a hands-on, owner-operator role. Territory: Non-exclusive for standard Franchise Agreement; IGP Development Agreement may grant protected territory (radius to full DMA); franchisor reserves right to open/franchise nearby; no relocation rights.

What training and support does Denny's provide?

Denny's provides 50 days of formal training. Supply chain: approved suppliers with designated distributor.

How long is the Denny's franchise agreement?

Agreement terms: No renewal in base agreement · successor agreement option: 10 or 20 years.

How does a Denny's franchisee earn?

A Denny's franchisee earns from customer sales at their own outlet across its 3 formats (The Den by Denny's, Travel Center Restaurant (New Build), Diner 2.0 Restaurant). You keep outlet takings and pay the brand a royalty on sales. FRANticc does not publish per-outlet earnings for US brands unless the franchisor discloses them.

How current is Denny's franchise disclosure?

These figures come from Denny's Franchise Disclosure Document for fiscal year 2025, filed with state regulators.

Is a Denny's franchise SBA-eligible?

Denny's is not listed on the SBA Franchise Directory, so SBA-backed financing may not be available. Confirm with your lender.

How many Denny's units opened and closed recently?

Denny's FDD Item 20 for fiscal 2025 reports 12 openings and 73 franchised-unit exits: 4 terminated, 1 reacquired by the franchisor and 68 ceased operations for other reasons. Item 20 is the franchisor's own filed count of unit turnover.

Have a different question? Ask Franchise Pixie.

According to FRANticc's verified franchise database, Denny's requires a minimum investment of $245K under a THE DEN BY DENNY’S model. Denny's operates 1212 outlets across the US, established in 1989. Data confidence: Reported. FRANticc provides the full franchise prospectus including verified FDD earnings, fee-load and capital-ask breakdowns, and franchisee contacts at franticc.com.

Denny's

Denny's is a Food & Beverage brand operating in the US. This page is the editorial franchise profile, covering operating format, investment range, store distribution, and side-by-side comparisons with peer brands. The data is independent — FRANticc never accepts payment from brands to influence coverage.

Founded: 1989
Total stores in the US: 1212
Industry: Food & Beverage — Full-Service Family Dining
Franchise model: THE DEN BY DENNY’S
Setup CapEx: $245K
Royalty: 7%
Franchise fee: $10K

Denny's Franchise Formats Available in the US

THE DEN BY DENNY’S — Investment from $245K
DENNY’S TRAVEL CENTER [new construction] — Investment from $944K
DENNY’S DINER 2.0 FACILITY — Investment from $1.6M, 2500+ sqft

Compare Denny's with other franchise opportunities on FRANticc. FRANticc turns each brand's FDD into source-verified investment data — every figure traceable to the franchisor's own filing.

Premium tools available for Denny's: Verified Earnings (FDD Item 19 unit economics), the Capital Ask and Captive-Economy breakdowns, Franchisee Connect (talk to existing Denny's operators), Legal Vault (litigation, directors, financials), and SBA loan-eligibility signals. Visit franticc.com/brands/dennys.html for the full interactive prospectus.