Golden Corral
Food & Beverage · Full-Service Restaurants
- Active units
- 352
- Avg unit volume
- $4.4M
- Royalty
- 4.0%
Franchised, year-end 2023
of weekly Net Sales
About Golden Corral
Golden Corral is America's #1 All You Can Eat Buffet, offering over 150 choices to cater to everyone's taste. From breakfast to dinner, Golden Corral serves a legendary, endless buffet featuring home-style favorites, signature sirloin steaks, seasonal promotion specials, and a variety of soups and salads. Indulge in their famous yeast rolls, homemade desserts, soft-serve ice cream, and mouthwatering carrot cake. Golden Corral prides itself on providing a great value for a good price, making it a favorite family restaurant among adults and kids alike. They also accommodate various dietary needs with options for low carb, vegan, paleo, and plant-based diets. You can dine in, order to go, or have your favorites delivered. For large groups and special occasions, Golden Corral offers a free, private party room. With their commitment to sanitation and a safe environment, Golden Corral ensures that every guest enjoys a fantastic dining experience. Find a Golden Corral near you and discover why it's The Only One For Everyone®.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$50k
- Vacated site incentive (COVID-19 closures)
If a qualifying vacated site is opened within 120 days, franchise fee reduced to the amount charged for an initial term two years shorter than the standard term
- Expansion incentive for existing franchisees
Eligible franchisees signing a new Development Agreement by April 15, 2025 pay a 15000 initial franchise fee for each Restaurant under construction within 18 months; otherwise then-current standard fee applies
- Brand fund
2.4% of Net Sales
- Footprint
7,571 – 11,098 sq ft
- Development Fee
$20k
- Veteran discount
50.0% off franchise fee — 50% discount of the initial franchise fee for VetFran-qualified veterans; applies if eligible veterans own >50% of the entity
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations344
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings3
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate-1.1%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR-1.1%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio0.4×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)$4.7M
Item 19 cohort year 2025
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate-3.2%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$3.8M
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open—
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
- Royalty rate4.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio1.2×
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
Create your free Glidepath account to access full brand information.
Location footprint
Showing 339 of 514 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.