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Franchise Intelligence

The Cheese Steak Shop.

Specialty Retail franchise. 20 outlets. Here's what opening a The Cheese Steak Shop franchise actually costs in 2026 — and what you can expect to earn.

Updated Apr 21, 2026 EFDID2718000
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Initial investment
$200K – $0.3M
Per unit, build-out incl.
Total outlets
20
-1 in last year
Royalty rate
5%
of gross revenue
Median unit revenue
Locked
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The answer, up front

How much does a The Cheese Steak Shop franchise actually cost?

The published range is $200,500 to $299,500 all-in per unit, per the latest FDD filing.

Line itemAmountSource
Initial franchise fee$17,500FDD Item 5
Total initial investment — low$200,500FDD Item 7
Total initial investment — high$299,500FDD Item 7
Royalty rate (ongoing)5% of grossFDD Item 6
Marketing fee (ongoing)1% of grossFDD Item 6
Overview

About The Cheese Steak.

The Cheese Steak Shop is a specialty retail franchise with 20 locations system-wide.

Initial investment ranges from $200,500 to $299,500. Detailed breakdown of where the capital goes is in the full FDD — unlock below.

The economics

What does a unit actually earn? Locked

Item 19 of the latest FDD reports median and quartile unit revenue. Unlock for the full distribution, breakeven timeline, and peer comparison.

MetricTop quartileMedianBottom quartile
Gross revenue$1,742,000$1,301,847$847,000
Unit count (reporting)812527294
Breakeven monthMo 14Mo 22Mo 34+

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Full Item 19 distribution, breakeven timelines, peer comparisons for The Cheese Steak Shop and specialty retail category.

Technology

Required tech stack. Locked

The systems The Cheese Steak Shop franchisees run — mandated vendors, approved alternatives, and annual cost benchmarks. If you sell into this vertical, this is your map.

SystemCategoryMandated?Annual cost
POS PlatformPaymentsApproved pair$1,800
Scheduling / CRMOperationsYes$6,000
Reporting SystemAnalyticsYes$2,400

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Full required tech stack, franchisee spend benchmarks, and a displacement playbook if you sell into this vertical.

Frequently asked

The questions we hear.

How much does a The Cheese Steak Shop franchise cost?

Total initial investment ranges from $200,500 to $299,500 per unit, per the latest FDD filing. The initial franchise fee is $17,500.

What is the royalty rate for The Cheese Steak Shop?

The Cheese Steak Shop charges a 5% royalty on gross revenue, plus a 1% marketing fee.

How many The Cheese Steak Shop locations are there?

There are 20 The Cheese Steak Shop outlets system-wide as of the latest FDD filing. 18 are franchised and 9 are company-owned.

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