Restaurants

Culver's franchise

Explore the published figures and operating information for Culver's.

Opening investment: $3,406,350–$10,294,100
Average annual revenue: $4,142,737
U.S. locations: 1,041
Worldwide locations: >1,000

Opening costs and fees

$3,406,350–$10,294,100

Opening costs vary by format, location and lease terms.

Operating formats

standard new restaurant with purchased land/building

$3,406,350–$10,294,100

Qualifications and program conditions

These conditions apply to the programs or transactions described below; they are not a universal entry requirement.

financial qualification requirements: Must have 20% of total projected initial investment in cash or liquid assets. No fixed USD minimum inferred.
financial qualification requirements: Culver’s development agreement requires financial statements, investment/financing plans and compliance with its then-current liquid-asset requirements for new franchisees.

Key ongoing fees

Service fee (royalty): 4% of Gross Sales, including business-interruption proceeds; sales tax, good-faith refunds and qualifying unreimbursed discounts are excluded. Gift cards count when redeemed.Monthly
Advertising: 2.5% of Gross Sales to the advertising fund, plus at least 1% for local advertising. If a cooperative is established, up to 4% additional Gross Sales may be required by member vote.
Technology: No fee charged at the filing date. Culver’s reserves a future fee estimated at $600–$1,000 per month, with increases if its costs rise.

Selected ongoing charges, not a complete fee schedule. Confirm the current FDD and the terms for your format.

Running the business

initial training hours: New manager program totals 14 classroom and 268 on-the-job hours; orientation excluded from seven-week schedule.
franchisee development training hours: Franchisee Development Program total 120 classroom and 550 on-the-job hours; guest relations on-the-job is ongoing during other sessions.
operator equity requirements: Individual must be full-time on-site owner-operator unless delegation consented. Entity operator ordinarily requires at least 50% equity and voting interest; alternative continues on following page.
operator equity alternative and guarantees: Alternative operator ownership: 25% equity/voting plus 25% building/real-estate interest. Development operator corresponding thresholds. Owners of 10% or more and spouses guarantee obligations. Operator and seven managers complete training.

Revenue and performance

$4,142,737

2025 · full-year franchised restaurants

Annual average sales: $4,142,737 average 2025 sales across 988 franchised restaurants open for the full year, including 13 atypical formats.January 1–December 31, 2025

Revenue is sales before expenses, not owner income. Compare matching periods, formats and location samples.

Locations

1,041 U.S. locations (2025).

Existing locations do not establish that a new territory is available. Confirm your market with the franchisor.

Sources and figure notes

Reporting periods and scope

U.S. locations

2025 year-end franchised plus company physical restaurants, U.S. states/DC.

Average annual revenue

$4,142,737 average 2025 sales across 988 franchised restaurants open for the full year, including 13 atypical formats. Part 1 includes four restaurants without a drive-through, five sharing a building with a convenience store and four endcap restaurants. Excludes 45 restaurants opened in 2025, one restaurant with a relocation interruption and one closed restaurant. Part 2 overlaps this population and excludes the 13 atypical formats. Sales exclude sales tax, customer refunds and unreimbursed approved coupons or discount programs. Franchisee information is unaudited and not independently verified by the franchisor. Franchise-outlet expenses are not provided in this sales table; company-operated expense samples must not be applied to it. Sales are not profit or owner income.

Worldwide locations

>1,000 worldwide lower bound from Culver’s undated count across 26 U.S. states. Source dates and census dates are distinct; observation on September 14, 2026 does not date an undated statistic. No U.S. typed counts or historical pilot rows change. Source claims are not a location-by-location census or verification of individual owners. The U.S. subset supports an inferred worldwide lower bound only; neither exact worldwide total nor company/franchise full-system split is established here. Held 2025 U.S. total 1,041 is preserved as a dated alternative; this undated marketing observation does not overwrite it.

Opening investment

standard new restaurant with purchased land/building: $3,406,350–$10,294,100. Reported total; not a component. Notes 1–13 apply. Do not interpret low franchise-fee endpoint as standard new entrant fee; $65,000 is standard.

Research snapshot: . Sources and methodology

Compare independent startup vs. franchise economics

Compare Culver's’s franchise model against starting or buying an independent business in burgers (line-item CapEx, 0%-royalty owner SDE margins & SBA resale multiples):