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Chick-fil-A vs Subway
Side-by-side on pricing, features, and fit — then our verdict.
Chick-fil-A — pros & cons
- + $10K to run a $9M restaurant
- + Elite unit economics
- − <1% acceptance rate
- − No multi-unit empire building
- − They take ~15% of sales + 50% of profit
$10,000 fee Company funds the build-out; operator pays $10K + working capital. Under 1% of applicants accepted. Verified Oct 2026.
Subway — pros & cons
- + Accessible entry point
- + Flexible formats
- − 12.5% combined fees is the highest in QSR
- − Unit count declining
- − ~$490K AUV is modest
$263K–$630K Fee $15,000. Range per 2026 FDD Item 7; non-traditional formats run lower. Verified Oct 2026.
Our verdict
Both have famously low fees — $10K vs $15K — but they're opposite deals. Chick-fil-A funds the entire restaurant and hands you the keys to a $9M machine; fewer than 1% of applicants get in. Subway hands you the keys to a $263K build that you fund yourself, with 12.5% in combined fees. One is a golden ticket, the other is a small business. Apply to Chick-fil-A; buy Subway if you want to own something this year.