Service & Food Franchises under $10k (2024)

Are you looking to invest in a franchise, but you’re on a tight budget? Are you willing to spend no more than $10,000 on your initial investment?

Browse our listings below to see some of the top franchises for sale at Under $10,000. I’m going to go through some of the key industries and some real examples, including some of the largest franchise names available.

You can also obtain an SBA loan for a franchise and invest as little as 30% of the total investment amount.

There are some diamonds in the rough in the service industry, and I do encourage you to look at all the listings on vettedbiz.com to see what franchises under $10,000 might be available for you.

What industries are available for under $10,000?

Generally, these are going to be service-based businesses where it doesn’t cost much money to open up the location. And keep in mind, under $10,000 that means the franchise fee is zero up to about $10,000 because you usually need expenses for other items and working capital to get the business off the ground.

Chick-fil-A

Some exceptions to non-service-based businesses include Chick-fil-A, where right now you can invest $10,000, and own and operate a Chick-fil-A franchise. Yes, the corporate office is going to keep most of the profits. However, they’re investing generally way over $2 million. So, if you’re looking to have an ownership stake in a small business with the potential to earn $150,000 to $250,000 plus, then a Chick-fil-A franchise might be something to consider.

Keep in mind, it’s very exclusive and very difficult to be awarded a Chick-fil-A license or franchise. So, if you’re looking to apply, you probably already need to have years of U.S. restaurant experience, and maybe you have already worked at a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

Steak ‘n Shake

Another option is Steak ‘n Shake, where for $10,000 you have a larger equity percentage. The last time we checked, it was 50,000… For Steak ‘n Shake, you have a larger equity percentage in the business. Last we checked for $10,000, you have 50% ownership and you can get into a current Steak ‘n Shake where it was previously owned by the corporate office. And they’re looking to have qualified franchisees own a percentage of one of these existing locations. What I like about the existing locations, is you can see the profit and loss and there’s not that ramp-up period where you’re waiting 6 months, 12 months, 18 months to start collecting a paycheck. Generally, in the first month, second month, you’re already getting some money back from your initial investment, which in this case for Steak ‘n Shake, was just $10,000.

Conclusion

Chick-fil-A and Steak ‘n Shake, where for a $10,000 investment, you can have partial ownership in one of these franchises and partner directly with the franchisor. In other franchises under $10,000, there are not that many great ones.