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Franchise 500 Rank
N/R Not ranked last year
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Initial investment
$82K - $2M
Units as of 2024
208 Increase 7.2% over 3 years

Company Overview

Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker took his wife Ida's recipe for hot dogs and started selling them from a stand in Coney Island in 1916. The Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest that started that same year continues to be held every July 4th to this day. Al Capone, Jimmy Durante and Cary Grant were regular customers, and FDR had Nathan's Famous hot dogs served to the king and queen of England in 1939. Nathan's Famous became a public company in 1970, and began franchising in 1988. In addition to hot dogs, the menu offers hamburgers, chicken, cheesesteaks and fries.

About Nathan's Famous

Industry Food
Related Categories Hot Dogs, Miscellaneous Quick-Service Restaurants
Founded 1916
Parent Company Nathan's Famous Systems Inc.
Leadership Oliver Powers, VP
Corporate Address 1 Jericho Plaza, #203
Jericho, NY 11753
Social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since 1988 (36 years)
# of employees at HQ 210
Where seeking

This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.

This company is offering new franchises worldwide.

# of Units 208 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Nathan's Famous franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Information Circle
$15,000 - $30,000
Initial Investment Information Circle
$82,200 - $2,032,610
Net Worth Requirement Information Circle
$500,000 - $1,000,000
Cash Requirement Information Circle
$250,000 - $500,000
Royalty Fee Information Circle
5.5%
Ad Royalty Fee Information Circle
2.5%
Term of Agreement Information Circle
5-10 years
Is franchise term renewable? Yes
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Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training 39-67 hours
Classroom Training 48-51 hours
Ongoing Support
Newsletter
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Field Operations
Site Selection
Marketing Support
Co-op Advertising
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed? Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Information Circle
Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Information Circle
No
# of employees required to run 14
Are exclusive territories available? Information Circle
Yes
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Franchise 500 Ranking History

Compare where Nathan's Famous landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.

Additional Rankings

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The information on this page is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular franchise or business opportunity by Entrepreneur Media. Our listings and rankings are solely research tools you can use to compare opportunities. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing in a franchise or business opportunity. That should include reviewing the company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant, and talking to former and current franchisees/licensees/dealers.
Updated: December 12th, 2022