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Top 20 Food Shop Franchise Opportunities in 2024

Jack 11/29/23 8:00 AM

Multi-Unit Franchise Fast Food Franchise

Top 20 Food Shop Franchise Opportunities in 2024

Are you searching for a list of the best food shop franchise opportunities from this year?

At Jack in the Box, we understand it can be hard to pick only one because there are so many options to choose from.

In this article, we will take a look at twenty of the best food shop franchises to start in no particular order.

Jack in the Box

We simply had to put ourselves on this list because of our innovative menu, flexible restaurant designs, and franchise opportunities in prime U.S. markets.

Jack in the Box offers a large and distinctive 24/7 menu with five dayparts to our customers. This means you can get anything on our menu at any time – day or night.

Plus, our new 1,350 square foot prototype features dual drive-throughs for higher order volume and a walk-up window for mobile orders to ensure you’re ready to serve today’s consumer.

When you look at our map of available markets, you’ll see most of the United States is available with a focus on exciting markets like:

Being able to develop multiple franchises in markets with this much potential is rare in the QSR Industry. It would be hard to do with other top brands.

Many of the legacy franchise brands you’re familiar with typically don’t have whitespace availability like we do at Jack in the Box.

This means you have an opportunity to grow a multi-unit portfolio with a brand that has supported our franchisees for more than 70 years.

We’re actively looking for new franchisees to grow our footprint and bring our craveable menu to markets across the United States. Click here to get started!

McDonald’s

McDonald’s is one of the most well-known QSR franchises in the world. It’s hard to find anyone who isn’t familiar with their “I’m Lovin’ It” advertising campaign.

They currently have more than 38,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 93% of McDonald’s restaurants are owned and operated by independent local business owners.

The availability of restaurants in specific areas is uncertain until you’ve completed your franchisee training. You may be required to relocate to your nearest restaurant opportunity.

Chick-Fil-A

Chick-Fil-A was founded by Truett Cathy in Hapeville, GA. Today, it is one of the most successful fast-food restaurants in America.

There are more than 2,800 Chick-Fil-A restaurants in the U.S. and the state with the most units is Texas with 456 locations.

They are currently seeking hands-on franchise candidates in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada to own and operate their quick-service restaurant.

Crumbl Cookies

Crumbl is a growing cookie franchise that uses a tech-forward approach to bring people together over a box of cookies.

Their rotating menu features more than unique 200 flavors inspired by cakes, candies, pies, and desserts of all kinds.

Flavors rotate weekly to keep their customers coming back to try new flavors, stock up on returning favorites, or indulge in their classic recipes.

Wendy’s

In 1969, Dave Thomas opened the first Wendy’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. It didn’t take long for their quick-service chain restaurant to become famous for square beef patties and Frosty desserts.

Today, they operate 7,000 restaurants worldwide and are looking for new and diverse franchisees to join their team.

They have a variety of limited and available markets throughout the U.S. with a focus on California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Alabama, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell is one of the most well-known food shop franchises in the world. In 1962, their first location opened in Downey, California.

In the United States, Taco Bell and their franchisees operate over 7,200 restaurants that serve more than 40 million customers each week.

This makes Taco Bell the largest Mexican QSR concept in the world when it comes to their total number of restaurants.

Their brand is growing domestically and internationally with more than 1,000 restaurants located in 30 countries across the globe.

Dunkin

For more than 70 years, Dunkin’ has been one of the top coffee and baked goods franchises in the United States.

It only took five years after Bill Rosenburg opened their first location in Quincy, MA for Dunkin’ to begin expanding their footprint with franchising.

Today, they have more than 11,000 locations worldwide with over 8,500 of those restaurants located in the USA.

Zaxby’s

Zaxby’s has seen a large amount of growth due to the success of their chicken fingers, chicken wings, chicken sandwiches, and chicken salads.

They have more than 900 locations in 18 different states with the majority of them located in the Southeastern United States.

Their headquarters is located in Athens, GA and they are currently looking for franchisees to expand their chicken restaurant into new territories.

Del Taco

Del Taco is known for their authentic Tex-Mex ingredients, freshly prepared menu, and franchise opportunities in existing and untapped markets.

In 2022, Del Taco was purchased by Jack in the Box and has grown to +590 locations in +15 states thanks to their incredibly loyal fan base.

Their menu includes tacos, burritos, nachos, and other Tex-Mex favorites along with 100% beef burgers and crinkle cut fries.

However, Del Taco take things a step further by starting with fresh ingredients like:

Fresh House-Grated Cheddar Cheese
Slow-Cooked Beans Made From Scratch
Fresh House-Made Pico De Gallo
Freshly Grilled, Marinated Chicken
Fresh House-Made Guacamole
Freshly Grilled, Marinated Carne Asada Steak

This rare combination of freshly prepared, craveable food at an unbeatable value is why they are the second largest brand in the Mexican QSR Industry.

Del Taco is aggressively expanding across the United States and currently seeking multi-unit restaurant operators.

To get started, simply submit this form and a member of their team will be in-touch.

Culver’s

Culver’s is a popular burger franchise known for their frozen custard, butterburgers, and cheese curds.

Since 1984, they have grown from their first location in Sauk City, Wisconsin to more than 800 restaurant locations in 25 different states.

They are looking for owner-operators with the skills to take a team of people and operate a Culver’s according to their high standards.

Jimmy John’s

Jimmy John’s is a sandwich franchise who takes pride in their hand-sliced cheeses and meats along with fresh baked bread.

This food shop franchise began operations more than 40 years ago and has grown into one of the fastest-growing chains in America.

Today, they have over 2,600 locations in 43 states with prime markets still available for new franchise development.

Wingstop

Wingstop specializes in chicken wings and tenders along with 11 different sauces like lemon pepper, hickory smoked BBQ, original hot, mango habanero, and atomic.

Their menu includes a variety of classic wings, boneless wings, and fries along with your choice of dipping sauces.

They currently have over 1,600 locations around the world with the majority of them in Texas, California, and Florida.

Freddy’s

Freddy’s is a nostalgic fast-casual restaurant with cooked-to-order steakburgers, hot dogs, shoestring fries, and frozen custard.

They are one of the fastest-growing franchises in the United States with 400 locations around the world.

Currently, they offer exclusive territories that are available across the U.S. along with international opportunities.

Moe’s

Moe’s Southwest Grill is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchise that was founded in Atlanta, GA by Raving Brands on December 9th, 2000.

The Moe’s menu is known for burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and salads. They even offer taco meal kits able to feed 4 to 6 people.

They’re looking for franchise owners interested in building a loyal following in their market while embracing their own independent spirit.

KFC

KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, was founded by Harlan “Colonel” Sanders in 1930. They began franchising a few years later in 1952.

Since then, they’ve grown their chicken franchise to more than 25,000 locations across the world with most of their growth coming from outside the USA.

Close to 99% of their chicken restaurants are franchised and they bring in roughly $4.6 billion in U.S. sales each year.

Whataburger

The story of Whataburger began at a 24-hour burger stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. 70 years later, they have grown to more than 890 locations throughout the United States.

Their original idea was to serve a burger so big it took two hands to hold, and so good it caused customers to exclaim, “What a burger!” after their first bite.

Whataburger was family-owned until their recent acquisition by an investment company. This has allowed for more franchises to open in new markets.

Arby’s

Arby’s is known as the second-largest sandwich restaurant brand in the world with more than 3,400 restaurants in eight different countries.

This food shop franchise focuses on serving quality food at affordable prices with the speed and convenience their guests love.

They are looking for people who are interested in being a part of the exciting culture this food shop franchise brand has created.

Burger King

Burger King currently has more than 7,000 restaurants across the U.S. with opportunities for growth across the U.S. and international markets.

This burger franchise is known for creating signature recipes and providing family-friending dining experiences. Every day, more than 11 million guests visit Burger King restaurants around the world.

They empower franchisees with built-in support for ongoing operations along with training to gain access and know-how across all aspects of the business.

Subway

Subway is one of the most well-known sub sandwich franchises in the world with more than 20,000 locations throughout the USA.

To complement their submarine sandwiches, this food shop franchise also sells wraps, salads, paninis, and baked goods like cookies, doughnuts, and muffins.

They are currently looking for potential franchisees with restaurant experience who can effectively operate multiple locations.

Checkers & Rally’s

Not too long ago, these two burger franchises used to be independent drive-thru restaurants.

In 1999, Checkers acquired Rally’s and joined the two brands to create one unique franchise opportunity.

Both restaurants offer dual drive-thru lanes and operate with the same menu provided by the same distributors.

This food shop franchise is headquartered in Tampa, FL and have a combined 878 locations throughout the United States.

Check Out These Additional Resources

We hope this list of the best food shop franchises to start helped you narrow down your search.

At Jack in the Box, we’re looking for multi-unit franchisees who are excited to bring our craveable 24/7 menu to new markets across the country.

Here are some additional online resources you may like to check out:

If you have any questions, please contact our franchise sales and support team.