The Most Profitable Food Franchises to Own in 2026
Interested in opening a restaurant of your own? We’ve compiled the most profitable food franchises you should consider in 2026. Check out our top picks!
Compare Top Franchise Opportunities
Franchise Business Review works with leading franchise brands to analyze franchisee satisfaction based on feedback from thousands of franchise owners. We invite you to explore our awards lists, compare franchise opportunities, download franchise reports, and read franchisee profiles.
Franchising Resources
Select Category
No Slow Months: How Mathnasium’s Membership Model Works
If you’re considering investing in a tutoring franchise, summer might scare you. You grow accustomed to the steady income stream during the school year, but what happens when enrollment dips because everyone is on vacation? The unpredictability of academic enrichment businesses is an understandable source of anxiety for anyone considering this industry. Yet, it doesn’t have to be. Depending on what business model your tutoring business follows, anxiety doesn’t have to be the norm.
How to Finance Multi-Unit Franchise Growth
There are a few significant differences in financing a multi-unit franchise versus a single unit. Here’s what you need to know about financing your multi-unit franchise.
What Are the Most Profitable Franchises of 2026?
What are the most profitable franchises of 2026? We get into it in this episode of the podcast.
Explore Our Awards Lists
Every year, we survey over 30,000 franchisees to determine the best franchises to own. We ask them questions about training, support, initial investment, franchisee community, and more. With the insights we gather, we make the following lists. No brand can pay to be on these lists, they appear because of their good data. Because of that good data, we at FBR can recommend them wholeheartedly.
Sponsored
Some of the Brands We Love Working With:
Smarter Franchise Research Starts Here
From A to Franchisee is Franchise Business Review’s podcast for people seriously exploring franchise ownership. Each episode breaks down what actually matters in franchise research, from validation and due diligence to financial realities and day-to-day ownership, with insights from industry experts and real franchise owners.
It is designed to help listeners ask smarter questions, avoid common missteps, and make confident, well-informed decisions about whether franchising is right for them.
Featured Franchisee
Read Robin & Jamie's story
Robin and Jamie own both a Travelin’ Tom’s franchise and a Kona Ice franchise. Read about their family business and how they help their community through business ownership.
Franchisee Excellence Awards
The Franchisee Excellence Awards celebrate franchisees who share an incredibly strong work ethic along with a deep passion for their business.
20
Years of Independent
Research
Who We Are
150K
Franchisees
Surveyed
Understand the Ratings
1300+