Turnkey Restaurant Demand Jumps 400% as Franchise Resales Gain Ground, New Report Finds

We Sell Restaurants Outperforms a Contracting Market as Buyers Pursue Smaller Deals, Established Brands and Equipped Spaces

PALM COAST, Fla., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- We Sell Restaurants, the nation's leading and only business broker franchise focused exclusively on restaurants, released its State of the Restaurant Resale Market report for the first half of 2026, revealing a national market that contracted in transaction volume even as buyer behavior has shifted decisively.

By combining national data and one of the largest restaurant-specific transaction datasets in the country – We Sell Restaurants' own internal data on closings, buyer inquiries, signed confidentiality agreements and listing activity – the report details what buyers are pursuing, which cuisines and concepts lead the way, where demand is shifting and why.

"Buyers haven't lost their appetite for restaurant ownership; they've simply gotten smarter about it," said Robin Gagnon, Co-Founder and CEO of We Sell Restaurants. "They are gravitating toward franchise brands they can finance, turnkey spaces they can open in weeks instead of years and price points that make sense in today's rate environment. Sellers who understand that shift and price accordingly are still finding a deep, motivated pool of buyers on the other side of the table."

Six Forces Reshaping the Market
According to data from BizBuySell, restaurant sales fell 5.8% year over year in the first quarter of 2026 and 11.7% in the second, with the national median sale price dropping 11.8% to $205,000. Yet the average cash flow multiple paid for a restaurant climbed to 2.41, and sold-to-asking-price ratios reached 90.3% nationally. This means the market is not paying less for restaurants. It is buying smaller ones and rewarding sellers who price accurately.

We Sell Restaurants identified six forces driving the first-half market:

1. Elevated borrowing costs are pushing buyers toward lower purchase prices, established franchise brands and equipped spaces that require less capital, with the prime rate holding at 6.75% and SBA 7(a) acquisition loans running roughly 9–11.5%.
2. Construction costs are up roughly 30% since 2020, and new retail construction has fallen to record lows, making it increasingly difficult to build new restaurant space — and increasingly attractive to buy existing space instead.
3. The "Silver Tsunami" of retiring Baby Boomer owners is fueling a growing pipeline of franchise transfers and independent sales.
4. Franchise resales are surging. Their share of the firm's closings climbed from 28.1% in the first quarter to 37.9% in the second, reaching 45.2% by June — more than double their share of all 2025 closings.
5. Asset sales are climbing every month. Buyer intent for turnkey, equipped, open-and-operating restaurants sold for their location and build-out grew 400% from January to June.
6. Migration into the Southeast continues to compound, with the eleven-state "Boom Belt" generating 83% of the firm's first-half closings and nearly nine of every ten signed confidentiality agreements by June.

Against this backdrop, We Sell Restaurants grew first-quarter closings 17.5% year over year and held second-quarter closings flat against a market that fell nearly 12%. The firm's share of restaurant transaction activity in its markets now stands at record levels, capped by its strongest closing month of the year in June.

To read the full report, visit www.wesellrestaurants.com/restaurants-for-sale/Restaurant-Market-Report.

A Franchise Built on a Simple, Proven Model 
For entrepreneurs considering franchise ownership, We Sell Restaurants offers a distinctive investment model built for flexibility and low overhead. With no office, employees and or supply chain to manage, franchisees are positioned to run a lucrative and scalable business model – equipped with the company's proprietary software platform built to drive lead generation and deal-closing, and a structured onboarding process that leads to certification as a Certified Restaurant Broker™.

We Sell Restaurants is actively seeking qualified franchisees throughout the U.S., especially throughout the Midwest, Northeast and Texas. Ideal candidates have experience in hospitality, business brokerage or sales, and are passionate about helping entrepreneurs realize the American Dream of restaurant ownership. According to We Sell Restaurants 2025 FDD Item 19, franchisees earned $263,253 in gross commission income, and more than 50% of all franchisees brokered more than one-million-dollars in sales.*

To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit https://www.wesellrestaurants.com/franchise. 

For more insights into the state of the restaurant resale industry and to learn more about We Sell Restaurants, visit www.wesellrestaurants.com.

About We Sell Restaurants
We Sell Restaurants is the nation's largest business broker franchise focused exclusively on the sale of restaurants, with over 20 years of experience in helping buy, sell and lease hospitality locations. With 1,375 active listings, We Sell Restaurants and its franchisees have sold thousands of restaurants across the country and maintain a listing inventory of over $625 million online at their powerhouse restaurant for sale marketplace, including independent and restaurant franchises for sale. We Sell Restaurants is offering franchise opportunities for their brand in select market areas. For more information, visit www.wesellrestaurants.com.

Media Contact: Bridget Roberts, Fishman PR, [email protected] or 847-945-1300

SOURCE We Sell Restaurants