How much does it cost to open a Smashburger franchise?

The franchisor's Item 7 table puts the total initial investment to open a Smashburger franchise at $1,239,500 to $2,255,500, according to their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

What is the royalty rate for Smashburger franchise?

Smashburger charges a 5.5% royalty fee (percentage of gross sales), as disclosed in their FDD, Item 6.

What is the Murk Score for Smashburger?

Smashburger has a Murk Score of 91/100 (OPAQUE, our band for scores 65 to 100). The Murk Score measures FDD transparency across 32 binary checks covering disclosure completeness, system trajectory, franchisor solvency, internal consistency, and litigation. A lower score indicates greater transparency.

How many Smashburger franchise locations are there?

Smashburger has 172 total franchise outlets, with a net growth of -22 units in the last reported year, according to their FDD, Item 20.

Does Smashburger have any franchise litigation?

According to Item 3 of their FDD: Litigation detected: 2 concluded, class action.

[ KEY FINDING ]

Smashburger has a Murk Score of 91/100 (OPAQUE, our band for scores 65 to 100). The score adds up the weights of whichever of our 32 disclosure checks its FDD triggered.

Source: Murk Score Analysis

[ VERIFIED // FDD 2026 ]

Smashburger

Report based on the 2026 FDD, issued April 17, 2026.

Verified: Sep 24, 2026

8 RED FLAGS DETECTED

0/100

MURK SCORE

FRANCHISE SONAR MURK SCORE: OPAQUE(our band for scores 65 to 100)

Does Smashburger Have Franchise Litigation?

Litigation detected: 2 concluded, class action.

[ FULL LITIGATION ANALYSIS LOCKED ]

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How Much Does a Smashburger Franchise Cost?

Royalty Rate	Initial Investment	Total Units	Net Growth (1Y)
5.5% percentage of gross sales	$1.2M to $2.3M	172	-22

Royalty Rate

Initial Investment

Total Units

Net Growth (1Y)

5.5%

percentage of gross sales

$1.2M to $2.3M

172

-22

Source: FDD Items 6, 7, 20

VERIFIED // CHECKED AGAINST THE FDD

[ RISK_ALERT ]

We found 8 red flags in Smashburger's FDD.

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We found 8 red flags in Smashburger's FDD.

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Essential Scan

$199

Items 19-21 financials

Covers the 2026 FDD

[ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ]

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Analyzed by Franchise Sonar Research Team

How is the Murk Score calculated? →

Franchise Sonar provides independent analysis of franchise disclosure documents (FDDs) filed with state regulators. This is for informational purposes only and is NOT investment advice. Data extracted using automated technology; verify all financial information directly in the official FDD before making decisions. Murk Score measures disclosure completeness, not franchise quality. Smashburger is a trademark of its respective owner. Franchise Sonar is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Smashburger.