Key takeaways
- A Grill'd restaurant typically costs $555,590 to $885,700 + GST to open as a turn-key store, and far more for a drive-thru.
- Grill'd doesn't publish a fixed royalty; reported figures sit around 8–9% of sales plus a 2% marketing levy.
- The biggest ongoing cost most guides ignore is labour — usually 25–30% of revenue for casual dining.
- Controlling that labour percentage through demand-based rostering is the main lever on your profit.
Opening a Grill’d franchise in Australia typically costs between $555,590 and $885,700 (plus GST) for a standard turn-key restaurant — and considerably more for a standalone or drive-thru site. Unlike most fast-food brands, Grill’d doesn’t publish a fixed franchise fee or royalty rate, which makes its true cost harder to pin down. This guide breaks down what’s known about the setup and ongoing fees — and the labour cost that ultimately decides whether the restaurant makes money — the franchise workforce management piece most cost guides skip entirely.
Grill'd franchise costs at a glance
- To open a turn-key store:
$555,590–$885,700 + GST (much more for drive-thru)
- Franchise fee:
~$40,000–$50,000 one-off (reported; not officially published)
- Ongoing fees:
Royalty reported around 8–9% + ~2% marketing (not publicly fixed)
- The cost that decides profit:
Labour, typically 25–30% of revenue — controllable through rostering
Grill’d is a fast-casual burger brand with a table-service model, which means more staff per site than a counter-only QSR — and a bigger labour bill to manage. Figures below are indicative and were last verified in July 2026. Grill’d publishes less cost detail than most franchisors, so treat these as a starting point and confirm current numbers against Grill’d’s franchise disclosure document.
How much does it cost to open a Grill'd franchise?
The turn-key initial investment for a standard Grill’d restaurant is reported at $555,590 to $885,700 + GST, covering fit-out, kitchen equipment, initial inventory, working capital and setup costs. The total varies significantly by format:
Indicative cost to open a Grill'd by format (Australia, verified July 2026)
| Format | Typical total investment (AUD, + GST) |
|---|---|
| Standard turn-key restaurant | $555,590–$885,700 |
| Shopping centre / strip site | $700,000–$1,200,000 |
| Standalone restaurant | $1,000,000–$1,600,000 |
| Drive-thru format | $2,000,000–$4,500,000 |
Indicative only and reported ranges vary between sources. Format ranges above should be confirmed directly with Grill’d.
Ongoing Grill'd franchise fees
This is where Grill’d differs from most franchisors: it doesn’t publish a fixed royalty rate. Reported figures put the royalty at around 8–9% of gross sales plus a ~2% marketing levy, but Grill’d describes its fees as negotiable rather than a set percentage. A widely-quoted 8%/2% figure traces back to a 2015 article, so don’t rely on it — get the current terms in writing.
The internal "ownership partnership" model
Because the upfront build cost is steep, Grill’d runs an internal partnership pathway: it can fund the bulk of a build for proven, brand-aligned store managers, who then step into ownership over time. It’s a lower-capital route in, but the fee and profit-share terms are set individually — read them carefully.
The labour blind spot most cost guides skip
The setup cost is a one-off. Labour is forever — and for a table-service burger restaurant it’s typically 25–30% of revenue, the single biggest cost you can actually control. Yet almost every “cost to open a Grill’d” article stops at the fit-out and never explains the wage bill.
Grill’d staff — cooks, kitchen hands and front-of-house — are generally covered by the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119), set and enforced by Fair Work. What drives the labour percentage up is when and how they work:
- Casual loading of 25% on top of base rates for the casual staff who make up much of a restaurant team.
- Evening, weekend and public-holiday penalty rates — and dinner service, Friday-to-Sunday and public holidays are exactly your busiest, most staff-heavy times.
- A deeper roster than a counter QSR — table service plus a full kitchen means more people on at once, so small rostering mistakes scale quickly.
A worked example
A restaurant turning over $25,000 a week at 28% labour spends about $7,000 a week on wages — roughly $364,000 a year. Let that drift to 32% by over-rostering weeknights and you’ve added about $52,000 a year for the same sales. In casual dining, that’s often the difference between a profitable site and a break-even one. Model your own numbers with the franchise labour cost calculator.
The fix is rostering to demand — and a table-service venue has more moving parts than a counter store. Staff each service to its booked and walk-in covers rather than repeating last week’s roster, split kitchen and floor hours so neither is over-manned in a lull, keep shifts off penalty windows where service allows, and reconcile rostered against actual hours after every weekend. See restaurant rostering for peak periods and reducing labour costs without understaffing.
Is a Grill'd franchise profitable in Australia?
It can be, but the high build cost and table-service labour model mean the margin for error is smaller than a low-cost QSR. Two factors dominate the outcome:
- The deal you negotiate. Because Grill’d’s fees aren’t fixed, your royalty, marketing and (for the partnership model) profit-share terms directly shape your margin. Get them in writing and model them.
- Labour control. With a bigger team than a counter store, casual dining lives or dies on rostering discipline. A well-rostered Grill’d and a poorly-rostered one on identical sales can differ by $40,000–$50,000 a year in profit.
If you go on to operate more than one restaurant, multi-site rostering for franchise operators becomes the core operational skill — and it’s exactly what RosterElf’s franchise workforce management is built for. For a counter-service comparison, see our breakdown of the cost to open a Subway franchise. See also our wider guides to franchise startup costs and whether a franchise is profitable in Australia.
Table service lives or dies on the roster. A Grill’d runs more people across the floor and kitchen than a counter QSR, so every service has to be matched to its covers. RosterElf applies Restaurant Award rates automatically and shows live wage cost against forecast sales as you build each shift — so the wage bill never outruns the takings. Set your labour target first with the free franchise labour cost calculator.
Related RosterElf resources
Franchise labour cost calculator
Franchise workforce management
Restaurant Award rates
Subway franchise cost
Rostering software
Restaurant peak-period rostering
Disclaimer
Cost and fee figures in this article are indicative, were last verified in July 2026, and vary by format, location and the individual terms Grill’d negotiates. Grill’d publishes limited cost detail, so treat these figures as a starting point only. This is general information, not financial or franchising advice — verify current figures against Grill’d’s franchise disclosure document and seek professional advice before committing. RosterElf is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Grill’d; all trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Grill'd franchise in Australia?
A standard turn-key Grill’d restaurant is reported to cost between $555,590 and $885,700 + GST to open. Shopping-centre and standalone sites run higher ($700,000–$1,600,000), and a drive-thru format can reach $2,000,000–$4,500,000. Always confirm current figures with Grill’d directly.
What are the ongoing fees for a Grill'd franchise?
Grill’d doesn’t publish a fixed royalty. Reported figures sit around 8–9% of gross sales plus a roughly 2% marketing levy, but Grill’d describes its fees as negotiable, so the terms you’re offered may differ. Get the current rates in writing before committing.
Why doesn't Grill'd publish a franchise fee?
Grill’d shares less cost detail than most franchisors and, through its internal “ownership partnership” model, sets fee and profit-share terms individually with each operator. A one-off franchise fee of around $40,000–$50,000 has been reported, but confirm the specifics in your disclosure document.
What award covers Grill'd staff in Australia?
Grill’d restaurant staff are generally covered by the Restaurant Industry Award (MA000119), which sets base rates, a 25% casual loading, and penalty rates for evenings, weekends and public holidays.
How much are staff wages for a Grill'd restaurant?
Labour typically runs 25–30% of revenue for casual dining. A restaurant turning over $25,000 a week at 28% spends around $7,000 a week on wages — about $364,000 a year — so how you roster peak services has a large effect on profit.
Is a Grill'd franchise profitable?
It can be, but the high setup cost and table-service labour model leave less margin for error than a low-cost QSR. The two biggest levers are the fee terms you negotiate and how tightly you control labour through demand-based rostering.
