We Sell Restaurants

What We Sell Restaurants does

We Sell Restaurants (legal entity WSR Franchise, LLC) is the only business broker franchise in the United States focused exclusively on the restaurant industry. Founded in 2002 by husband-and-wife co-founders Eric and Robin Gagnon and headquartered in Palm Coast, Florida, the company sells franchise territories to individuals who become Certified Restaurant Brokers serving their local markets. The franchise network spans 45 states and supports two primary end-customers: restaurant owners seeking to sell their businesses and entrepreneurs or investors seeking to acquire restaurants (including independent operators, franchisees, multi-unit developers, and retirement-exit sellers). The company facilitated transaction volume exceeding $90 million in 2024, with franchisees averaging approximately 10 transactions per year at an average gross commission income of $292,399 per franchisee based on 2024 FDD data.

The company's core technology stack centers on the proprietary BOSS (Broker's Operations and Sales System), a CRM and operations platform that gives franchisees visibility into leads, listings, and transactions across the network. It has been augmented with AI-powered voice clone videos that humanize restaurant listings, an AI capability that also analyzes online reviews to refine branding and positioning, and a direct API integration with BizBuySell that creates a real-time listing data pipeline. The company also operates the federally registered "We Sell Restaurants" and "Certified Restaurant Broker" trademarks, the latter being the only national credentialing program for restaurant brokers. Supporting digital assets include a suite of calculator and assessment tools (financing, valuation, readiness-to-sell, cost-to-build, business plan, seller's checklist) hosted on the main site and ScoreApp subdomains.

We Sell Restaurants monetizes through three reinforcing revenue streams: (1) initial franchise fees paid by new Certified Restaurant Broker franchisees, (2) ongoing royalties and support fees from the existing franchise base, and (3) indirect commission economics tied to transaction throughput across the network. Pricing specifics are disclosed only in the Franchise Disclosure Document. Go-to-market is franchise-led: the company recruits brokers via a dedicated franchise website, a candidate quiz tool, content marketing, industry events (IFA, IBBA, Franchise Business Review), and thought-leadership media (QSR Magazine, Nation's Restaurant News, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, The Today Show). Strategic commercial agreements include a memorandum of understanding with FSC Franchise Co for franchise resale services across the Newk's, Beef O'Brady's, and Brass Taps systems.

Name

We Sell Restaurants

Legal name

WSR Franchise, LLC

Website

https://wesellrestaurants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

We Sell Restaurants is the only U.S. business broker franchise dedicated to restaurants, operating a 45-state network of Certified Restaurant Brokers who facilitate restaurant buy/sell transactions through a proprietary BOSS platform, AI-driven listing tools, and a direct BizBuySell marketplace integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Business Brokerage

akta.pro primary industry

Franchise Resale & Franchise Brokerage (Transfers/Resales) (FSAEAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sell-Side Business Brokerage (FSAEAIAC), Business-for-Sale Marketplaces & Listing Platforms (FSAEAIAK)

Keywords

• Restaurant brokerage
• Business broker franchise
• Restaurant listings marketplace
• Franchise resale services
• Restaurant M&A services

Headquarters

HQ city

Flagler Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: We Sell Restaurants generates revenue by selling franchise territories to independent Certified Restaurant Brokers. Franchisees pay an initial franchise fee to join the network and ongoing royalties for support, training, and brand usage. The 2024 FDD data shows average franchisee gross commission income of $292,399 per year with 10 transactions averaging $27,237 per transaction.
2. Commission on Restaurant Transactions: The company earns commissions from facilitating restaurant buy/sell transactions. Franchisees act as Certified Restaurant Brokers earning commission income on each completed restaurant sale. The company facilitated transactions exceeding $90 million in total sales value in 2024.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

We Sell Restaurants operates the nation's leading business broker franchise network focused exclusively on the restaurant industry. The company sells franchise territories to independent Certified Restaurant Brokers across 45 states and operates a digital marketplace platform with thousands of restaurant-for-sale listings. Franchisees facilitate buy/sell transactions between restaurant owners and buyers, earning commissions while paying franchise fees and ongoing royalties to the parent company. The proprietary BOSS (Broker's Operations and Sales System) platform powers franchisee operations.

Product overview

We Sell Restaurants operates as the nation's leading and only business broker franchise focused exclusively on restaurants. The core offering is its proprietary marketplace platform, which provides the most restaurant-for-sale listings online, searchable across all U.S. states. Supporting the marketplace are franchisee-operated brokerages powered by the proprietary BOSS (Broker's Operations and Sales System) CRM. The company sells franchise territories to become Certified Restaurant Brokers, who then facilitate restaurant buying and selling transactions. The product portfolio also includes a suite of buyer and seller tools — including Restaurant Financing Calculator, Restaurant Valuation Calculator, Restaurant Cost Calculator, Readiness to Sell Assessment, Seller's Checklist, and Restaurant Business Plan — accessible primarily via the blog and external scoreapp.com subdomains. The company also offers a Business Broker Franchise Quiz for prospective franchise candidates. Additionally, the company has developed the nation's only Certified Restaurant Broker designation as a training credential, and operates the WOW (Women of We Sell Restaurants) network supporting women franchise owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WOW: Women of We Sell Restaurants: A network promoting women entrepreneurs in the restaurant brokerage industry, supporting the company's 32% women-owned franchise territories.

Products and services

• Restaurant Marketplace Listings Core online marketplace offering restaurant-for-sale and restaurant-for-lease listings nationwide, with detailed listing pages including financials, equipment, lease terms, photos, and franchise details. Targets restaurant buyers and sellers connecting through We Sell Restaurants franchise brokers.
• BOSS (Broker's Operations and Sales System)

Quantifiable outcome

• $292,399 average Gross Commission Income for franchisees in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• BizBuySellcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 July 2025We Sell Restaurants announced a direct API integration with BizBuySell, one of the largest business-for-sale marketplaces. This integration creates a direct pipeline for listing data, improving speed, accuracy, and exposure for restaurant buyers and sellers nationwide. The connection enables seamless listing distribution across platforms.
• FSC Franchise Co (Newk's, Beef O'Brady's, Brass Taps)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025We Sell Restaurants secured a memorandum of understanding with FSC Franchise Co covering franchise resale agreements for Newk's, Beef O'Brady's, and Brass Taps restaurant brands. This national-level agreement positions We Sell Restaurants as the preferred resale broker for these franchise systems.
• International Franchise Association (IFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobin Gagnon serves on the Board of Directors of the IFA, is Vice Chair of Franchisor Forum, and is past chair of the Women's Franchise Committee. Eric Gagnon serves on the VetFran Committee. The company actively participates in IFA conventions, award ceremonies, and policy discussions.
• International Business Brokers Association (IBBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWe Sell Restaurants franchisees hold Certified Business Intermediary designations from IBBA. Eric Gagnon has been named a Fellow of the IBBA. We Sell Restaurants brokers earned top IBBA performance awards in 2024.
• WOW: Women of We Sell RestaurantscoreOthersThe WOW network promotes women entrepreneurs in the restaurant brokerage industry. Nearly 32% of the nation's largest restaurant brokerage franchise territories are now owned by women or women-led partnerships. The network provides mentorship, training, and business development support for women in the franchise.
• Franchise Business ReviewcoreOthersThird-party franchise research organization that surveys franchisee satisfaction. We Sell Restaurants has been consistently recognized by Franchise Business Review including Top Franchise Culture, Top Franchise for Women, and Top Low-Cost Franchise awards. Ranked 25th among thousands of brands for franchisee satisfaction.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sunbelt Business Advisors: Sunbelt Business Advisors is the largest business broker franchise network in North America, with hundreds of franchise offices intermediating SMB M&A transactions including restaurant deals. It is the most direct peer to We Sell Restaurants given its franchise-led brokerage model, though it spans all categories rather than specializing in restaurants.
• Transworld Business Advisors: Transworld is a major franchise business brokerage with global offices handling mergers, acquisitions, and franchise resales across industries including restaurants. It mirrors WSR's franchise-broker structure and similarly serves buyers, sellers, and franchisors, making it one of the closest direct comparables.
• Murphy Business & Financial Corporation: Murphy is a North American franchise business brokerage with dedicated practices in restaurants, franchises, and SMB M&A. Like WSR, it operates a franchise-led model, supports franchise resale services to national brands, and trains franchisees in Certified Business Intermediary methods - a direct head-to-head peer in the franchise-broker space.
• Morgan & Westfield (formerly VR Business Brokers): Morgan & Westfield is a business broker franchise network handling lower-middle-market M&A across industries, including restaurants. It is a direct peer via franchise brokerage model, though it lacks WSR's exclusive restaurant specialization and consumer-facing marketplace scale.

Broad incumbents

• BizBuySell: BizBuySell is the largest U.S. business-for-sale marketplace and a strategic data-pipeline partner of WSR via direct API integration. While not a franchise broker itself, it is a broad incumbent in the business-for-sale listing ecosystem where WSR competes for buyer/seller attention and runs its deal flow.

Emerging players

• Franchise Resales: Franchise Resales operates a leading marketplace dedicated to franchise resale listings, handling direct franchisor relationships and buyer matching. It overlaps with WSR's franchise resale specialization but functions more as a listing platform than a franchise-led broker network.
• FranChoice: FranChoice is a franchise consulting network that matches prospective buyers with franchise opportunities, adjacent to WSR's buy-side brokerage work. It shares the franchise advisory DNA and education-led approach but does not broker business transfers, positioning it as a complementary rather than directly competing player.
• SellingaBusiness.com (Synergy Business Advisors): SellingaBusiness.com is a business-for-sale marketplace and broker directory serving SMB M&A transactions, with restaurant listings included. It competes for the same listing aggregator audience as WSR's wesellrestaurants.com platform, though at much smaller scale.

Others

• International Business Brokers Association (IBBA): IBBA is the U.S. trade association conferring the Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) credential, of which both We Sell Restaurants co-founders hold Fellow/CBI designations. It is an industry body that sets standards, not a competitor, but provides a useful reference point for brokerage industry structure and the credentialing ecosystem WSR's franchisees operate within.
• International Franchise Association (IFA): IFA is the largest U.S. franchise trade association, where CEO Robin Gagnon sits on the Board. It is the umbrella body shaping franchise policy and standards affecting WSR's franchise system rather than a direct competitor, but frames the regulatory and reputational environment in which WSR sells its franchise territories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sellrestaurants
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeSellRestaurants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about We Sell Restaurants