Jack in the Box Franchise Cost (2026)

What stands out about Jack in the Box

Building improvements and equipment dominate the Item 7 estimate for a prototypical Restaurant built by the franchisee. The table leaves land out altogether, and its notes exclude several other site-specific costs. Its development-agreement range covers a commitment to two Restaurants, so it cannot be compared with the single-Restaurant estimate as though it were another format of one site. The FDD also describes sales of already-built Restaurants, which require a different purchase analysis from the construction budget shown here.

The standard royalty and marketing fee share a Gross Sales basis, but Item 6 treats Games and Devices revenue under a separate royalty. Rent is conditional on a franchisor-related lease or development arrangement and uses minimum and percentage-rent offsets. Several technology charges have current monthly amounts but can change, while the digital transaction component depends on activity. These details prevent a complete continuing-fee total from being derived from the Item 19 average alone. The Select Market incentive can temporarily lower a qualifying Restaurant's royalty without changing the standard rate shown in the fee table.

Item 19's main sales group excludes travel-plaza and convenience-store locations, and it also omits Restaurants with incomplete-year operation or ownership changes. The separately reported smaller-site group has its own average and should stay separate. The expense tables omit several major cost categories, so their operating measures are not owner profit. In Item 20, reported franchised outlets declined in the latest fiscal year as the 'ceased operations' column rose. Transfers record changes of owner, not new openings, and use a different scope from the continuous-operation sales sample.

What are the initial franchise fees and financial requirements for Jack in the Box?

Item 5 lists an initial franchise fee of $50,000 for Jack in the Box. Check the cited Item 5 for payment timing, discounts and format-specific terms.

The standard twenty-year Restaurant fee is $50,000. Shorter terms use $2,500 for each year or partial year beyond six months; nontraditional sites have a separate $25,000 fee. Eligible veterans may receive a first-Restaurant discount. Development fees for single or multiple units are conditionally creditable toward the corresponding Initial Franchise Fee. The FDD also describes conditional grand-opening, extension, technology-installation and site-development charges. Historical fees collected from other owners are not the standard new-Restaurant fee.

Source: Jack in the Box 2026 FDD, Item 5, PDF p. 22.

This record lists no minimum net worth or liquid-capital requirement for Jack in the Box, because no sourced figure has been recorded. Ask the franchisor for its current financial qualifications in writing.

How much does it cost to open a Jack in the Box franchise? (Item 7)

Source: Jack in the Box 2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 35.

Item 7 of Jack in the Box’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates the total cost to open one prototypical restaurant built by franchisee at $1,909,500 – $4,041,500. This total includes the initial franchise fee.

Other formats

For comparison, the median high-end investment among 25 restaurants & food records without a source-review hold is $1,297,100.

The main Item 7 table spans PDF pages 35-36 and excludes land, financing, certain site-specific expenses, and a possible survey's additional expenses. The development-agreement table on page 37 assumes two Restaurants and credits development payments against franchise fees; its total is for the multi-unit commitment, not a single Restaurant.

What ongoing royalties and fees does Jack in the Box charge? (Item 6)

Source: Jack in the Box 2026 FDD, Item 6, PDF p. 26.

Item 6 of Jack in the Box’s 2026 FDD lists the charges below. Recurring charges and charges triggered by a transfer, renewal or other event have different conditions. Read each fee’s basis and notes before comparing rates.

How to read an Item 6 fee table.

Jack in the Box startup investment and modeled fees over 10 years

Games and Devices revenue has a separate royalty base. Rent applies under a particular lease arrangement, and several technology and transaction charges may change. The FDD does not provide the sales and transaction mix needed to calculate every continuing charge from the Item 19 gross-sales average. See the fee amounts and definitions in Item 6 above. Open the calculator with your own assumptions.

Item 20: Jack in the Box franchised outlet history

Source: Jack in the Box 2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 88.

Item 20 Table 3 reports 1,985 franchised outlets at the end of 2025. The company-owned table reports a further 151 outlets. Our calculated average annual franchised exit rate is 1.9% across the 3 reported years, using the definition below.

Franchised units went from 2,034 to 1,985 over 3 years (-49).

Reported exits include terminations, non-renewals, franchisor reacquisitions and other cessations. A reacquired outlet may continue operating. How we calculate the exit rate. How to read the Item 20 outlet tables. Compare Jack in the Box’s exit rate with other brands.

21 units changed owners in 2025.

Table 3 all-location totals on PDF page 88 reconcile for each year. Table 2 transfers are on page 86 and company-owned Table 4 endings on page 90. The Table 3 footnote excludes a seasonal stadium unit from that table, and the fiscal years end in late September rather than December. 'Ceased Operations - Other Reasons' is the FDD's classification and should not be relabeled as a termination. Item 19 uses a narrower continuous-operation sales sample.

How much do Jack in the Box franchise owners make? (Item 19)

Source: Jack in the Box 2026 FDD, Item 19, PDF p. 80.

Item 19 of the 2026 FDD reports average Gross Sales, Franchise Restaurants in the Continental U.S., Total of $1,913,335 (Twelve months ended September 30, 2025, 1,754 franchised Restaurants in the Continental U.S. open for the full period, excluding C-Store/Travel Plaza sites and other exclusions in Item 19). Jack in the Box’s Item 19 reports sales but no profit, costs or owner pay. Rent, payroll, supplies, loan payments and Item 6 fees such as the royalty (5% of Gross Sales other than Games and Devices) come out of sales before an owner is paid, so these figures cannot show what an owner earns.

See every Jack in the Box Item 19 figure, with its period and sample.

Payback calculator (enter your own assumptions) Check any inputs against this record’s Item 7 startup costs and Item 6 fee rules.

How to interpret Jack in the Box’s Item 19 figures and sample limits.

How long is the Jack in the Box franchise agreement term?

Source: Jack in the Box 2026 FDD, Item 17, PDF p. 68.

The standard Jack in the Box franchise agreement runs 20 years.

Item 17 gives no contractual renewal right. A later grant is solely at the franchisor's discretion and may require a new agreement, fee and updates.

How long does it take to open a Jack in the Box franchise? (Item 11)

Source: Jack in the Box 2026 FDD, Item 11, PDF p. 52.

Item 11 of the 2026 FDD states the time from signing the Development Agreement to opening: about 18 to 36 months for the first developed restaurant.

Taking over an existing restaurant typically takes 10 to 14 weeks after the letter of intent and deposit.

Franchises with a similar investment range

These published records are selected by proximity to Jack in the Box’s $1,909,500 low-end Item 7 investment, starting with Restaurants & Food. Formats, fees and source qualifications differ; the figures are not interchangeable budgets:

• Taco Bell $1.86M – $4.31M Source review pending Provisional publication Restaurants & Food
• KFC $2.11M – $4.16M Restaurants & Food
• Freddy's $1.59M – $2.8M Source review pending Provisional publication Restaurants & Food
• Sonic Drive-In $1.49M – $2.52M Source review pending Provisional publication Restaurants & Food
• Crunch Fitness $2.15M – $5.37M Fitness

Compare other restaurants & food franchises

• Panera Bread$1.34M – $4.57M
• Popeyes$1.22M – $3.92MSource review pendingProvisional publication
• Red Robin$2.71M – $5.79M