These are the Top 150 Franchise Brands for Multi-Unit Owners
If you’re looking to buy more than one location, these brands are top choices.
This story appears in the July 2026 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Multi-unit ownership has become increasingly popular in the franchise industry — among both franchisees and franchisors. And there’s good reason for that. For franchisees, owning multiple units can create economies of scale, diversify revenue streams, and allow for greater wealth generation. Meanwhile, many franchisors see an advantage in growing their systems via a smaller network of trusted multi-unit operators rather than a large network of single-unit owners.
But which franchisors offer the best opportunities for multi-unit franchisees? To find out, we started with each company’s Franchise 500 score, based on an analysis of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. We then considered factors more specifically related to multi-unit ownership — including multi-unit franchise fee discounts, what percentage of a brand’s franchisees own multiple units, what percentage of a brand’s total units are owned by multi-unit franchisees, how many units the average franchisee owns, and whether the brand sells only multi-unit or master license deals. After taking all of those elements into account, the 150 top-scoring companies became our Top Brands for Multi-Unit Owners for 2026, which you’ll find here.
This list can serve as a great starting point if you’re interested in venturing into multi-unit ownership or in expanding your existing portfolio, but keep in mind that it is not intended as an endorsement of any particular brand. Whether you plan on buying one unit or 1,000, it’s vital to do your homework before investing in any franchise brand. So read the company’s legal documents, talk to an attorney and an accountant, and meet with as many current and former franchisees as you can.
Multi-unit ownership has become increasingly popular in the franchise industry — among both franchisees and franchisors. And there’s good reason for that. For franchisees, owning multiple units can create economies of scale, diversify revenue streams, and allow for greater wealth generation. Meanwhile, many franchisors see an advantage in growing their systems via a smaller network of trusted multi-unit operators rather than a large network of single-unit owners.
But which franchisors offer the best opportunities for multi-unit franchisees? To find out, we started with each company’s Franchise 500 score, based on an analysis of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. We then considered factors more specifically related to multi-unit ownership — including multi-unit franchise fee discounts, what percentage of a brand’s franchisees own multiple units, what percentage of a brand’s total units are owned by multi-unit franchisees, how many units the average franchisee owns, and whether the brand sells only multi-unit or master license deals. After taking all of those elements into account, the 150 top-scoring companies became our Top Brands for Multi-Unit Owners for 2026, which you’ll find here.
This list can serve as a great starting point if you’re interested in venturing into multi-unit ownership or in expanding your existing portfolio, but keep in mind that it is not intended as an endorsement of any particular brand. Whether you plan on buying one unit or 1,000, it’s vital to do your homework before investing in any franchise brand. So read the company’s legal documents, talk to an attorney and an accountant, and meet with as many current and former franchisees as you can.
