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McDonald's vs Del Taco — which franchise is the better buy?

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

	McDonald's	Del Taco
Disclosure honesty	C	C
Investment from	—	$1,497,200
Total fees	9%	9%
Outlets	13,457	594
Lawsuits	19	12

McDonald's: what their numbers say

Discloses avg $3.96M franchised sales + pro forma operating income before occupancy at 3 tiers; excludes rent, royalty, D&A, interest — overstates profitability

Del Taco: what their numbers say

Franchised restaurants: avg sales $1,613,899 (2024). Company-owned: avg sales $1,804,158, operating profit $383,324 before rent. Data from 387 franchised, 116 company-owned locations. No audited verification.

Get the real owner take-home for either — $149

Full net-profit math, financing, red flags. See a sample →