Franchise Facts Report → brands → McAlister's Deli
McAlister's Deli franchise — is it worth it?
Low risk Growing network Item 19 disclosed
McAlister's Deli is a well-established quick-service restaurant brand with a growing footprint and transparent financial disclosures.
Everything below is free, read straight off McAlister's Deli's registered filing, with where the numbers land against quick-service restaurant peers. Weighing McAlister's Deli against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in McAlister's Deli's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 640668 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
Considering McAlister's Deli? See what else fits your budget
Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. McAlister's Deli will be on it if it fits.
How much does a McAlister's Deli franchise make?
McAlister's Deli is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure is $1,868,101 in average unit revenue — read it alongside what Item 19 says about which units it covers (often only mature or top-performing locations). See every quick-service restaurant brand that discloses earnings in the Fast food & quick-service restaurant franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
McAlister's Deli franchise profit vs. revenue
Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come McAlister's Deli's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a McAlister's Deli franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "McAlister's Deli franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. On $1,868,101 of revenue, a 5% royalty alone is about $93,405 a year before any other cost.
McAlister's Deli lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
McAlister's Deli's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against McAlister's Deli itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
McAlister's Deli closures & failure rate
Before you sign, McAlister's Deli will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what McAlister's Deli's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a quick-service restaurant of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. McAlister's Deli's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 1.7%, against a quick-service restaurant median of 2.9% — at or better than the category. Net franchised outlets moved +9 to 533 in the latest reported year.
Who owns McAlister's Deli?
McAlister's Deli's franchise is offered by McAlister's Franchisor SPV LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Quick-service restaurant franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing McAlister's Deli is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
McAlister's Deli franchise — frequently asked
Who owns McAlister's Deli — who is the franchisor?
McAlister's Deli's most recently filed FDD (2026) names McAlister's Franchisor SPV LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a McAlister's Deli franchise cost?
McAlister's Deli's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $500,000 – $1,000,000, with an initial franchise fee of $35,500 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against quick-service restaurant peers it sits in the lower quartile (median $604,609).
How much profit does a McAlister's Deli franchise make?
McAlister's Deli discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for McAlister's Deli), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any McAlister's Deli franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate. The headline figure McAlister's Deli discloses is $1,868,101 in average unit revenue.
Does McAlister's Deli disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — McAlister's Deli reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure is $1,868,101 in average unit revenue, as the franchisor states it.
Are there lawsuits against McAlister's Deli?
McAlister's Deli's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against McAlister's Deli itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Is McAlister's Deli a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from McAlister's Deli's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against quick-service restaurant peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is low risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on McAlister's Deli or quick-service restaurant: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.