Döner Haus vs the rest
The lowest royalty, the smallest site and zero franchisees lost.
- Lowest royalty of 5 brands 3%
- Smallest site of 5 brands · company figure 400–1,200sq ft
- Franchisees lost, 2023–2025 0
- Cash on hand · company figure* $190,000+ on October 30, 2026
| Franchise | US units | Franchised | Royalty | Franchisees lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Döner Haus | 6 open1*3 franchised 5 under construction Commitments for 55+ units1 | +1 (0 → 1)2 in 2025 | 3%2 | 02 in 2023–2025 |
| German Doner Kebab† | 633 franchised | −7 (10 → 3)3 in 2025 · −70% | 6%3 | 73 in 2023–2025 3 ceased, 4 reacquired |
| Doner Shack† | 04 | 0 (0 → 0)4 in 2024 | 6%4 | 04 in 2022–2024 |
| The Halal Guys | 81577 franchised | −3 (80 → 77)5 in 2025 · −3.8% | 6%5 | 305 in 2023–2025 29 ceased, 1 reacquired |
| Shah’s Halal Food† | 1296 | — | 5%6 | — |
Head to head
- Döner Haus vs German Doner Kebab — German döner — 7 of 10 franchised US restaurants gone in 2025, and $8,712,808 in audited losses.
- Döner Haus vs Doner Shack — German döner — No US restaurant, a missed August opening, and its UK operator wound up.
- Döner Haus vs The Halal Guys — Halal platters — Lost 30 franchised outlets in three years, down from 93 to 81 US units.
- Döner Haus vs Shah’s Halal Food — Halal fast casual — Two state settlements over its franchise sales, and a 5% royalty to our 3%.
Sources & fine print
Last updated
- US units: Döner Haus is our own count on October 31, 2026, a company figure, not a disclosure-document figure; the other franchisors are their latest disclosure document’s year-end figure (December 31, 2025, unless noted). Franchised is the change in franchised outlets in each franchisor’s Item 20 Table 3 for its latest fiscal year, Döner Haus included.
- Franchisees lost counts, over the three years each franchisor’s Item 20 Table 3 covers, every franchised outlet that was terminated, not renewed, reacquired by the franchisor (whether it then closed it or kept it open as company-owned) or ceased operations for other reasons; every year reconciles with the table’s start and end counts. Transfers to new owners are not losses, and company-owned closures are listed separately on each page. By brand: Döner Haus, 0 (0 in 2023, 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025); German Doner Kebab, 7: 3 ceased, 4 reacquired (0 in 2023, 0 in 2024, 7 in 2025); Doner Shack, 0 (0 in 2022, 0 in 2023, 0 in 2024); The Halal Guys, 30: 29 ceased, 1 reacquired (8 in 2023, 12 in 2024, 10 in 2025); Shah’s Halal Food, not shown (†).
- German Doner Kebab: the Minnesota-registered copy of GDK USA’s 2026 disclosure document; the copy filed in Wisconsin prints 8 units.
- Doner Shack: its latest disclosure document, issued April 29, 2025, covers 2024; no later one is on file in any registry we checked.
- Shah’s Halal Food: the unit count is its Item 19's; its Item 20 gives 56, 128 and 131 for that date, so no franchised change or franchisees-lost figure is shown.
- Our finances: the audited statements in Item 21 of our disclosure document show a net loss of $84,7732 in 2025, our first full year as a franchisor, which is normal for a young brand; as of October 30, 2026, Döner Haus holds more than $190,000 in cash reserves7.
- The cards above, each checked against every franchise here that discloses the figure: lowest royalty of 5 brands, 3%2; smallest site of 5 brands, 400–1,200 sq ft8 (a company figure); franchisees lost, 2023–2025, 02.
Sources
- Döner Haus store count, Döner Haus, October 31, 2026 (company figure) — stores open and under construction, October 31, 2026; units committed, October 31, 2026.
- Döner Haus Franchise Disclosure Document, Doner Haus Franchising LLC, issued April 7, 2026 — Item 6; Item 20, Table 3; Item 21, statement of operations, PDF page 136.
- German Doner Kebab Franchise Disclosure Document, Minnesota-registered copy (file 11573), GDK USA, Inc., issued August 19, 2026 — Items 6 and 20; Item 20, Table 3.
- Doner Shack Franchise Disclosure Document, Doner Shack Franchising, LLC, issued April 29, 2025 — Items 1, 6 and 20; Item 20, Table 3.
- The Halal Guys Franchise Disclosure Document, The Halal Guys Franchise Inc., issued April 30, 2026 — Items 6 and 20; Item 20, Table 3.
- Shah’s Halal Food Franchise Disclosure Document, Shah’s Halal Franchising Inc., issued March 16, 2026 — Items 6 and 19.
- Döner Haus cash reserves, Döner Haus, October 30, 2026 (company figure) — cash on account, October 30, 2026.
- Döner Haus current site requirement, Döner Haus, October 30, 2026 (company figure) — store size.
Competitor information is taken from public sources as of October 30, 2026 and may have changed. This is not an offer to sell a franchise; offers are made only through our Franchise Disclosure Document.