Arby's Franchising and Development

What Arby's Franchising and Development does

Arby's Franchising and Development, founded in 1964, is the franchise development entity for the Arby's restaurant brand and operates under the privately held Inspire Brands portfolio alongside Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, BWW GO, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, and SONIC. The entity recruits, qualifies, and onboards franchisees for Arby's locations, requiring minimum liquidity of $500,000 and net worth of $1,000,000, and supports a global footprint of more than 3,500 restaurants across six markets from the Inspire Brands headquarters at 3 Glenlake Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia. The franchise offering is structured around three distinct restaurant formats — Freestanding (1,375 sq ft), Endcap (1,600–2,500 sq ft), and the newer Small Format drive-thru (1,070 sq ft) — to maximize real estate flexibility and four-wall economics.

Arby's generates revenue through a one-time/license fee model comprising a $37,500 Initial Franchise Fee and a $12,500 per-restaurant Development Fee, paired with two recurring streams: a 4% royalty on franchisee gross sales and a minimum 5.2% Combined Advertising Fee on gross sales. Total initial investment per franchisee ranges from $651,550 to $2,456,600, per the most recent FDD issued March 26, 2026. The underlying technology stack is delivered primarily through Inspire Brands shared services and includes brand mobile apps and websites, demand generation and personalization systems, restaurant operations and revenue management platforms, reporting systems, and centralized supply chain management.

The entity operates with a small corporate headcount (53 employees), reflecting its role as a franchise sales and support organization rather than a restaurant operator. Franchisee-facing support covers training programs, dedicated Franchise Business Consultants, real estate optimization, construction guidance, national marketing and PR, collective media buying, loyalty programs, local marketing guidance, and culinary innovation. Competitive positioning rests on brand recognition (Entrepreneur #1 in Miscellaneous Sandwiches, #12 Franchise 500, #8 Top Food Franchises) and the scale economics generated through Inspire Brands' multi-brand shared services infrastructure.

Name

Arby's Franchising and Development

Legal name

Arby's (brand under Inspire Brands)

Website

https://arbysfranchising.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Arby's Franchising and Development, founded 1964, recruits and supports franchisees for the Arby's restaurant brand under Inspire Brands. It sells franchise rights across three formats in six global markets, earning one-time franchise fees plus 4% royalties and a 5.2% advertising fee on franchisee gross sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees: One-time fees including Development Fee of $12,500 per restaurant and Initial Franchise Fee of $37,500.
2. Royalty Fees: Ongoing royalty fee of 4% of gross sales from franchisees.
3. Advertising Fees: Minimum Combined Advertising Fee of 5.2% of gross sales collected from franchisees.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arby's Franchising and Development offers franchise opportunities for the Arby's quick-service restaurant brand, including three restaurant format options (Freestanding 1,375 sq ft, Endcap 1,600–2,500 sq ft, and Small Format drive-thru 1,070 sq ft). Franchisees receive comprehensive operational support spanning training, marketing, technology platforms, and supply chain management delivered through the Inspire Brands shared services infrastructure across more than 3,500 restaurants in six global markets.

Product overview

Arby's Franchising and Development offers a franchise opportunity for Arby's, a fast-casual restaurant chain known for roast beef sandwiches, operating under the Inspire Brands portfolio. The company provides three distinct restaurant format options (Freestanding, Endcap, and Small Format) with varying footprints and capacities, along with comprehensive franchise support services covering training, marketing, technology, and supply chain management. The offering is structured as a unified franchise model where franchisees gain access to Arby's brand, operational systems, and Inspire Brands' shared services infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arby's Freestanding Restaurant Franchise
• Arby's Endcap Restaurant Franchise
• Arby's Small Format Drive-Thru Franchise
• Training and Franchise Support Services
• Marketing and Public Relations Services
• Technology and Innovation Platform Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Inspire BrandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArby's is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants, which provides shared services and supercharges franchisee growth through collective resources including national marketing, collective media buying, supply chain management, technology platforms, and operational best practices across multiple restaurant brands.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Which Wich: Custom sandwich franchise chain targeting similar end customers via made-to-order customization, representing a niche but growing competitor within the sandwich QSR franchise space.
• Potbelly: Smaller sandwich chain pursuing franchise expansion with an upscale fast-casual sandwich concept, competing for consumer share and as an emerging franchise opportunity adjacent to Arby's.

Direct peers

• Jimmy John's: Sandwich-focused QSR franchise and a sister brand within the Inspire Brands portfolio, competing head-to-head with Arby's in the quick-service sandwich category using similar franchising, royalty, and shared-service economics.
• Wendy's: Public QSR franchise competing directly with Arby's in the burger/sandwich QSR space with comparable franchising economics, drive-thru formats, and target customer demographic.
• Firehouse Subs: Sandwich QSR franchise operating a similar franchising model with comparable menu positioning, drive-thru and endcap formats, providing direct competitive overlap with Arby's customer and franchisee base.
• Subway: The world's largest sandwich QSR franchise by unit count, competing directly with Arby's for franchisees and end customers with comparable franchise fee structures and a multi-thousand-store global footprint.
• Jersey Mike's Subs: Rapidly growing East Coast-style sub franchise that has emerged as a leading competitor in the premium sandwich category, competing for both end customers and qualified multi-unit franchisees against Arby's.

Broad incumbents

• McDonald's Corporation: Largest global QSR operator and dominant franchise model in the category; a broad incumbent that sets benchmarks on franchise fees, digital/technology platform investments, and unit economics across the industry.
• Restaurant Brands International: Multi-brand QSR holding (Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes) operating shared-service franchise infrastructure analogous to Inspire Brands, anchoring multi-brand QSR franchising strategy and competing for franchise talent.
• Yum! Brands: Major multi-brand QSR franchisor (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) with mature shared franchise-services platform and tech investments, setting structural benchmarks in franchise operating leverage relevant to Arby's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arby'%E2%80%8B-franchising-and-development.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Arby's Franchising and Development