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McAlister's Deli vs Subway — which franchise is the better buy?

Side by side from the public FDDs — no franchisor spin.

	McAlister's Deli	Subway
Disclosure honesty	B	F
Investment from	$910,175	—
Total fees	7%	—
Outlets	572	19,502
Lawsuits	4	84

McAlister's Deli: what their numbers say

Net sales by quartile for 477 traditional franchises FY2025. Top quartile averaged $2.75M; 44% of franchises met/exceeded system average of $1.87M. Excludes non-traditional locations, express formats, affiliate-owned.

Subway: what their numbers say

No financial performance representations made. Franchisor does not disclose past/projected franchisee income or outlet financial performance.

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