Our latest newsletters

From Subway to Del Taco, a dangerous financing trend is crushing margins. Inside the 94% APR "debt spiral" threatening major operators.

How aggressive acquisitions, securitized debt, and rising rates pushed a major franchisor into bankruptcy.

New data and recent deals show why multi-unit operators are expanding beyond restaurants.

A new IFA report developed with Oxford Economics highlights how franchising drives entrepreneurship and job growth. Based on nearly 3,000 franchise owners, the data shows franchised businesses outperform non-franchises on employment growth and wages. Here’s what the numbers reveal.

Since its first restaurant opening in 1998, Jollibee focused on company-owned locations, rather than franchising. Now backed by a global footprint of 1,700+ locations across more than 30 countries, the company is now targeting 500 U.S. and Canadian locations by 2030.

Despite economic pressure, private equity remains active in franchising. Dealmakers are growing more selective, focusing on brands with strong unit economics and clear growth stories. Healthy food restaurant concepts are emerging as a key area of interest heading into 2026.

Crumbl Cookies has been surrounded by rumors of store closures and franchisee struggles. We take a closer look at where those concerns came from, including questions raised about the brand’s hypergrowth and reliance on novelty. Then we dig into the numbers, which show a very different picture in 2024 compared with 2023. The result is a clearer view of what’s really happening—and what it means for franchisees.

Service-based franchises are emerging as one of the strongest growth drivers in the industry. Recurring revenue, lower build-out costs, and territory-based models are making these concepts easier to scale than traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. As a result, operators and investors are increasingly prioritizing service franchises for expansion. This week’s stories show how that trend is playing out in real markets.

This week, all eyes are on the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting. The FOMC is set to announce its decision today, and markets are overwhelmingly expecting a 25-basis-point rate cut (Polymarket currently places the probability at around 94–95% for what it's worth).Why is this important for franchisors? A cut would further ease borrowing costs after 2 years of high-rate pressure, potentially reopening financing pipelines for franchise development and lowering the cost of expansion for operators.This could mark the beginning of a more favorable lending environment heading into 2026.

New data this month shows that franchising continues to outperform the broader U.S. economy: the franchise sector has grown +7.3% over the last five years - double the pace of overall economic growth at 3.6%.This momentum is being driven by strong multi-unit and multi-brand expansion across restaurants, home services, and retail, reflecting a shift toward consolidation and scale rather than single-unit ownership. Franchisors increasingly prefer experienced multi-unit operators over single-unit owners — a trend that suggests the next wave of growth will be anchored in platforms with deeper resources and more operational sophistication.

Private equity firms are re-entering the franchise space, with a renewed focus on acquiring multi-unit restaurant portfolios.Indeed, lower interest rates and stronger operating performance are driving investors back toward franchised brands with proven unit economics.This marks a notable shift toward consolidation across the fast-casual restaurant franchise industry.

The federal government shutdown now resolved, SBA loan programs are fully operational again. Franchisees are finally free to resume applying for SBA-backed financing. Great news for the franchise industry which was in a standstill for over a month.Yet, with an estimated $5.3 billion SBA-backed loans frozen during this period, SBA will take some time to clear out the backlog of applications.This is our first weekly newsletter, where we highlight three notable franchise expansions from this week and introduce three emerging brands worth watching.