Built Custom Burgers

The question every serious franchise investor asks before committing capital is deceptively simple: does this brand solve a real problem, does it do it better than the alternatives, and will it still be relevant in ten years? For Built Custom Burgers, the answers require a careful, data-driven examination of a concept that was born from a genuine consumer frustration — the complete absence of personalization at traditional fast-food burger counters. Founded in 2013 in Texas, Built Custom Burgers entered the market as the fast-casual extension of The Counter, a brand that had already demonstrated consumer appetite for premium, fully customizable burgers. The founding thesis was direct: give guests complete control over every element of their burger, from protein to toppings to bun, without sacrificing quality or speed. That thesis was formalized into a franchise offering in 2014, one year after the brand's founding, signaling early confidence in the replicability of the concept. The company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and operates under MTY Franchising USA, Inc., a significant corporate umbrella that also includes dozens of other restaurant franchise brands. Kahala Franchising acquired Built Custom Burgers on December 1, 2017, folding the brand into a larger portfolio that provides corporate infrastructure, operational scale, and marketing resources that a standalone emerging concept could not independently generate. As of the 2020 Franchise Disclosure Document, there were 5 franchised Built Custom Burgers locations in the United States operating across 4 states, with the South representing the largest regional concentration at 3 locations. The brand has also established a presence in Canada, with locations reported broadly across the U.S. and internationally. For the franchise investor evaluating this Built Custom Burgers franchise opportunity, the small unit count is not simply a liability — it is also the defining feature of a ground-floor entry into an emerging brand operating within one of the most persistently robust consumer categories in American dining.

The burger restaurant industry is not a niche category experiencing speculative growth — it is a $173.6 billion market in the United States as measured in 2025, making it one of the largest single segments within the entire U.S. food service landscape. The market grew by 0.7% in 2025 and is projected to accelerate to 2.4% growth in 2026, reflecting a recovering demand curve as consumer dining habits normalize following years of macroeconomic volatility. Looking at the medium-term trend, the compound annual growth rate for burger restaurants from 2021 through 2026 has been 2.3%, a rate that, while not explosive, demonstrates the category's remarkable resilience in the face of inflationary pressures, labor cost increases, and shifting consumer preferences. Within this $173.6 billion total addressable market, the fast-casual sub-segment has consistently outperformed the broader category because it captures two simultaneous consumer desires: the speed and price accessibility of quick-service dining combined with the ingredient quality and menu customization associated with casual dining. Consumer trends driving this bifurcation are well-documented — health-conscious diners are actively seeking proteins that are humanely raised, antibiotic-free, and hormone-free, and they are willing to pay a modest premium for that assurance. Built Custom Burgers directly addresses these preferences by sourcing 100% natural beef that is humanely raised and handled, antibiotic- and hormone-free, and vegetarian-fed, alongside all-natural chicken and vegan veggie burgers made fresh daily from 11 different ingredients and grilled to order. The competitive dynamics of the custom burger fast-casual segment remain fragmented at the regional level, which means that a franchisee entering an underserved market — particularly in states outside the brand's current footprint of Florida, California, and Arizona — carries a first-mover positioning advantage that consolidated, mature franchise systems simply cannot offer. Macro secular tailwinds including rising consumer demand for food transparency, sustained interest in experiential dining, and the cultural normalization of premium fast-casual price points all create a durable runway for concepts built around quality customization.

The Built Custom Burgers franchise investment is structured as a mid-tier opportunity within the burger franchise segment, which is a meaningful distinction for investors comparing capital requirements across the category. The initial franchise fee is $35,000. For context, the sub-sector average for burger restaurant franchise investments ranges from $985,322 to $2,087,083 on the high end, and Built Custom Burgers falls substantially below that threshold across all reported investment scenarios. Total initial investment figures have been reported across multiple data sources reflecting different years and format configurations: the 2020 FDD cited a range of $408,500 to $856,500; a 2024 source reported $408,500 to $976,500; a 2025 estimate placed the range at $409,000 to $1,297,000; and projections for 2026 show $432,500 to $881,500. This spread across the low and high ends of the investment range reflects variability driven by real estate costs, build-out specifications, geographic labor markets, and equipment configurations. The investment covers all essential startup costs including the franchise fee, equipment, leasehold improvements, initial inventory, and working capital. Liquid capital requirements have been reported in the range of $200,000 to $2,000,000 depending on the source, with working capital specifically estimated at $50,000 to $100,000. Net worth requirements range from $800,000 to $2,000,000. The ongoing royalty rate is 6% of gross sales, and the advertising fund contribution is 1% of gross sales, bringing the total ongoing fee obligation to 7% of gross revenue before local marketing expenditures. The franchise agreement runs for ten years, with renewal terms available in five-year increments subject to meeting the brand's operational and financial standards. Third-party financing options are available through platforms connecting franchisees with lenders specializing in franchise investment structures. Veterans receive an incentive in the form of a discount on the initial franchise fee, a meaningful consideration for the significant veteran-owned business community within the franchise sector. When benchmarked against the burger sub-sector averages, the Built Custom Burgers franchise cost profile makes this one of the more accessible entry points in the premium custom burger space.

Daily operations at a Built Custom Burgers location are structured around a full-service fast-casual model that requires consistent, hands-on owner engagement. This is explicitly not a semi-absentee investment — franchisees are expected to be present and active in managing their location, which means that candidates with prior restaurant management experience or strong operational backgrounds are significantly better positioned to succeed. Staffing requirements are substantial: operating a Built Custom Burgers franchise requires more than 15 employees, with one source citing 20 employees as the standard operational headcount. This staffing depth reflects the complexity of a fully customizable menu executed at fast-casual speed, where each order is assembled to individual specification from a broad ingredient matrix. The menu includes customizable burgers with protein options spanning 100% natural beef, all-natural chicken, turkey, and vegan veggie burgers, complemented by extensive fresh toppings, artisanal cheeses, house-made sauces, and bun options including a burger-in-a-bowl format. Sides include French fries, sweet potato fries, and tots, while the beverage program features craft beer, Coca-Cola products, lemonade, iced tea, and shakes. The brand offers a 208-hour initial training program, structured as 40 hours of classroom instruction and 168 hours of on-the-job training, covering marketing, sales, and operations comprehensively. Ongoing corporate support includes lease negotiation assistance, grand opening operational support, proprietary software systems, safety and security procedures, field operations support, and marketing assistance including a loyalty program and branded app. Site selection and build-out assistance are provided by the corporate team, reducing the friction of the real estate process for operators who may be new to selecting commercial restaurant locations. The brand's "industrial-chic aesthetic" is a defined design standard that creates visual brand cohesion across locations. Territory structures may include exclusive geographic areas, and the brand currently has several territories available for expansion, with active franchisee recruitment in Canada noted as a near-term priority.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document. This is a significant data gap for prospective investors and should be a central point of independent due diligence before any capital commitment is made. The absence of an Item 19 disclosure means that Built Custom Burgers has not provided average revenue per unit, median revenue, quartile breakdowns, or profit margin data within the FDD framework, which is legally permissible since franchisors are not required to make financial performance representations. Some third-party franchise research platforms indicate that average gross sales data is available upon accessing premium research tools, suggesting unit-level revenue data may exist in compiled form outside the FDD. In the absence of brand-specific revenue disclosures, industry benchmarks provide a useful analytical framework. The U.S. burger restaurant market generated $173.6 billion in aggregate revenue across 2025, and fast-casual concepts within that market typically achieve per-unit annual revenues in the range of $800,000 to $1.5 million depending on location quality, market size, and operational execution. The unit count trajectory — growing from 4 franchised locations in 2015 to 5 in 2019 and 2020, across 4 states — reflects modest but stable growth for a brand in early-stage expansion. With a 5% to 6% royalty rate and a 1% advertising contribution, a franchisee generating $1 million in annual gross sales would be remitting approximately $60,000 to $70,000 per year in ongoing fees, which is consistent with the fast-casual industry standard. Payback period estimation without disclosed unit economics requires careful scenario modeling, and prospective investors are strongly advised to contact existing franchisees directly — franchise research best practices recommend speaking with a minimum of 5 current Built Custom Burgers franchisees to gather firsthand accounts of revenue trajectory, time to profitability, and true total operating costs before signing any franchise agreement.

Built Custom Burgers has followed a deliberately measured growth trajectory since beginning its franchise program in 2014, and that pacing reflects both the realities of building an emerging brand and the strategic discipline of its corporate parent. The unit count grew from 4 franchised locations in 2015 to 5 by 2019 and maintained that count through the 2020 FDD cycle, with the brand operating across 4 states including Florida, California, and Arizona and extending to at least one Canadian location. The December 1, 2017, acquisition by Kahala Franchising was a pivotal corporate development that brought Built Custom Burgers under the MTY Franchising USA, Inc. portfolio, led by CEO Eric Lefebvre — a transition that provided access to the infrastructure, vendor relationships, and operational expertise of a large multi-brand franchisor. This corporate backing is a structural competitive advantage that distinguishes Built Custom Burgers from independent emerging concepts that lack institutional support. The brand's competitive moat is anchored in several reinforcing elements: its proprietary build-your-own customization platform, the quality differentiation of antibiotic- and hormone-free proteins grilled to order, the loyalty program and branded app that drive repeat visit frequency, and the industrial-chic store design that creates a distinct physical brand identity. Consumer demand for food personalization continues to grow — survey data consistently shows that younger dining consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, prioritize menu customization and ingredient transparency over price, making the Built Custom Burgers positioning structurally aligned with the highest-spending cohort in food service. The brand is actively seeking franchisees for Canadian expansion while focusing domestic growth on select territories, suggesting a quality-over-quantity franchise development philosophy. The burger restaurant market's projected 2.4% growth rate in 2026, following 2.3% CAGR from 2021 to 2026, creates a favorable macro backdrop for franchisees entering the system during this expansion phase.

The ideal Built Custom Burgers franchisee candidate is not a passive investor seeking hands-off income — the operational model explicitly requires active ownership and direct management engagement across all aspects of the business, from hiring and training a staff of 15 to 20 employees to overseeing daily quality standards, customer satisfaction, and local marketing execution. Prior experience in the restaurant industry, or at minimum deep comfort with food service operations, is a practical necessity given the staffing complexity and operational precision required by a fully customizable menu executed at fast-casual speed. Financial qualification requires meeting net worth thresholds in the range of $800,000 to $2,000,000 and maintaining liquid capital above the working capital floor. The franchise agreement term runs ten years, with five-year renewal options available to franchisees who meet the brand's ongoing operational standards, providing a long runway for building location-level value. Geographic territories currently available for expansion span select U.S. states beyond the established footprint in Florida, California, and Arizona, as well as Canadian markets where the brand has signaled active recruitment interest. Locations historically perform best in urban and suburban environments with dense daytime foot traffic, including proximity to office complexes, university campuses, and high-traffic retail centers — site selection assistance from the corporate team helps franchisees identify locations meeting these performance criteria. Multi-unit development is a natural progression for operators who establish strong initial performance, and the brand's still-limited national footprint means that motivated franchisees can potentially secure multi-unit development rights in major metropolitan markets before those territories are claimed by other operators.

For the franchise investor conducting serious capital allocation research, Built Custom Burgers presents a franchise opportunity with a clearly defined investment thesis that warrants structured due diligence rather than either reflexive enthusiasm or reflexive dismissal. The brand operates within a $173.6 billion U.S. burger restaurant market growing at a 2.3% five-year CAGR, under the corporate umbrella of MTY Franchising USA, Inc., with an initial franchise fee of $35,000 and a total investment profile that falls substantially below the burger sub-sector average of $985,322 to $2,087,083. The 208-hour training program, ongoing field support, proprietary technology, loyalty infrastructure, and site selection assistance represent genuine operational scaffolding for an owner-operator entering the system. The primary due diligence obligations for a prospective franchisee center on directly validating unit-level economics through conversations with existing franchisees, obtaining and analyzing the full current FDD with qualified legal and financial counsel, and stress-testing investment recovery scenarios against realistic revenue assumptions for specific target markets. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to benchmark Built Custom Burgers against competitive fast-casual burger franchise opportunities with precision and transparency. The combination of an accessible investment threshold, strong parent company infrastructure, a consumer-demand-aligned customization concept, and available expansion territories creates the profile of an emerging brand opportunity that rewards careful, informed investors who are willing to do the analytical work before committing capital. Explore the complete Built Custom Burgers franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.