Taco Bell franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.23 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$25,000 to $45,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5.5% · 5.5% of Unit's Gross Sales, due on or before the 5th business day following the accounting period in which sales were made (Period Franchise Fee)

Marketing contribution

4.25% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$750/year (All Access Fee) plus $0.19 per digital transaction (mobile, web, kiosk, voice AI, delivery orders), as billed

Other fees

Gift Card Transaction Fee $0.19/transaction; System-One/Multi-One Merchandising Program $729.25-$744 per quarter per restaurant; late charges of lesser of 18%/annum or highest rate permitted by NY law

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$40,000 - $60,000 to cover incremental operating expenses for the initial three months of business, above and beyond standard operating costs

Fees sourceFDD p.16 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.23 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

No average/median gross sales or profit representation of actual Units; disclosure instead covers third-party sales-forecasting tools (Bell Point, Kalibrate, SiteZeus) used for site selection, including their margin of error and back-tested accuracy

Reporting period

Kalibrate/SiteZeus back-test used 2nd-year sales of 183 Units opened Jan 1, 2023 - Dec 31, 2023

Sample

183 existing single-brand, free-standing, drive-thru Units (Kalibrate/SiteZeus back-test sample)

Reported average

Not captured

Reported median

Not captured

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.61 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

7341

Year-end outlets

7335

Net change

-6

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

168

Terminations

1

Non-renewals

8

Other closures

21

Reacquisitions

144

Transfers

134

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

7 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$575,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

2 loans

Historical charge-off share

4.55%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

1 / 22

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Taco Bell franchise cost?

Traditional Units: $1,859,750 to $4,312,200; In-Line and End-Cap Units: $934,750 to $1,817,200 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $25,000 to $45,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.23 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Taco Bell owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: No average/median gross sales or profit representation of actual Units; disclosure instead covers third-party sales-forecasting tools (Bell Point, Kalibrate, SiteZeus) used for site selection, including their margin of error and back-tested accuracy. Sample: 183 existing single-brand, free-standing, drive-thru Units (Kalibrate/SiteZeus back-test sample). Period: Kalibrate/SiteZeus back-test used 2nd-year sales of 183 Units opened Jan 1, 2023 - Dec 31, 2023.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.61 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Taco Bell?

4.55%; numerator / denominator: 1 / 22. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $575,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 2 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗