Five Most Expensive Franchise Types

There are thousands of franchises in all type of industries, some of which can be started for as little as $25,000 and some of which require millions of dollars. Here are five of the most expensive industries for franchise businesses:

1. Hotels and motel franchises 

Hotels and motels are generally the largest franchises and are far and away the most expensive. Hotel and motel franchises of all different price and quality levels cost a couple of million dollars to begin. The real estate is expensive to begin with, and then building out the hotel property costs a lot more property size. One of the most expensive franchises in this area may be the Doubletree by Hilton, which can cost upwards of $50 million to get started.

2. Restaurant franchises

Casual restaurants like TGI Fridays cost around $1 million to begin. A Denny's, for example, costs between $1 million to $2 million to start up.

3. Fast food franchises

While not all franchises in this category are very expensive, many of the biggest fast food names, such as McDonald's and Burger King charge higher franchise fees than some lesser-known chains for the universal power of their brand names.

4. Gas station/convenience store franchises

This category is dominated by large national names like 7-Eleven that cost about a million dollars. Only some locations have a gas station, but that addition significantly tacks on to the total costs.

5. Storage franchises

The massive commercial space necessary for a storage franchise is the biggest expense incurred