Döner Haus — Real German Kebabs
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Döner Haus vs German Doner Kebab

7 of 10 gone in 2025

GDK USA lost 7 of its 10 franchised US restaurants in 2025: 3 shut, 4 taken back. Döner Haus doubled.

Why Döner Haus wins

Döner Haus charges half German Doner Kebab’s royalty and a lower fee, and grew in 2025 while GDK USA lost 7 of its 10 franchised US restaurants.

  • Royalty 3% vs 6% at German Doner Kebab
  • Franchisees lost, 3 years 0 vs 7 at German Doner Kebab
  • Equity, year end $96,723 vs −$8,900,214 at German Doner Kebab
  • Cash on hand · company figure* $190,000+ on October 30, 2026

Own a Döner Haus. 6 open, 5 under construction, commitments for 55+ units*.

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Before you sign

Required by Minnesota on the cover of GDK USA’s FDD1

“Turnover Rate. In the last year, a high percentage of franchised outlets (70%) were reacquired or ceased operations for other reasons. This franchise could be a higher risk investment than a franchise in a system with a lower turnover rate.”

Also on its cover: Unregistered Trademark.

  • Its audited losses since 2018 add up to $8,712,808.2
  • Its auditor says it depends on continued advances from its owners to meet its obligations, and it owes its parent $9,552,553.2
  • Its registration lapsed, ended or was canceled in 7 states since 2020, New York included; Minnesota canceled it three times.3,4,5,6,7
  • Minnesota sent it three deficiency notices in October 2026 because its unit tables did not add up.3
  • Google Maps lists its former Sugar Land, Bay Ridge, Westfield and Brighton Beach restaurants as permanently closed.8
  • Its franchisees signed confidentiality clauses restricting them from discussing their experience in the system with you.1

Fees side by side

Döner HausGerman Doner Kebab
Initial franchise fee $35,0009 $40,0001
Total initial investment $359,500–$586,0009 single unit $366,000–$638,0001 single restaurant
Royalty 3% of gross sales9 6% of gross sales1
Marketing / ad fund 2% of gross sales9 Brand Fund Up to 3% of gross sales1 Brand Development Fund; not yet established or required
Required local advertising $2,000 a month9 required minimum local digital advertising, subject to a 10% annual increase 2% of gross sales1 minimum local marketing, spent monthly
Total ongoing fees (royalty + fund) 5% of gross sales9 3% royalty plus 2% Brand Fund 6%–9% of gross sales1 6% royalty plus a fund of up to 3%
Typical store size 400–1,200 sq ft10 Döner Haus current site requirement, October 2026 800–2,000 sq ft1 typical

Questions

Did regulators require a risk warning on German Doner Kebab’s FDD?

Yes: Minnesota made GDK USA’s 2026 cover warn that “a high percentage of franchised outlets (70%) were reacquired or ceased operations for other reasons”. Döner Haus has lost no franchisees.

Is Döner Haus cheaper than German Doner Kebab?

Yes: a $35,000 fee and a $359,500–$586,000 investment, against $40,000 and $366,000–$638,000.

What royalty does German Doner Kebab charge?

6%, twice ours, plus a fund of up to 3% and at least 2% of gross sales on local marketing. Döner Haus charges 3%, a 2% Brand Fund and $2,000 a month in local digital advertising.

How many German Doner Kebab and Döner Haus locations are there?

GDK USA reported 6 US units at the end of 2025, down from 10, only 3 of them franchised. Döner Haus doubled to 4 and has 6 open today, with 5 under construction.

Is German Doner Kebab’s US franchisor losing money?

Yes, seven years into US franchising: GDK USA lost $1,103,244 in 2025, $8,712,808 since 2018, and owes its parent $9,552,553. Döner Haus lost $84,773 in its first full year, normal for a young franchisor, and owed its owners nothing at year end.

How many German Doner Kebab restaurants have closed in the US?

In 2025 its franchised US outlets fell from 10 to 3: 3 ceased operations and GDK USA took back 4. Google Maps lists 4 of its former restaurants as permanently closed.

Is German Doner Kebab registered to sell franchises in New York?

No. Its New York registration ended April 30, 2026, according to the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository, which lists an application as pending.

Does Döner Haus owe its owners anything?

No. Our 2025 audited balance sheet shows nothing owed to our owners or affiliates and $96,723 in members' equity, and we held more than $190,000 in cash on October 30, 2026.

Own a Döner Haus

A 3% royalty against GDK USA’s 6%, and not one franchisee lost.

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Sources & fine print

Last updated

  • US units for Döner Haus are our own count on October 31, 2026, a company figure; for German Doner Kebab they are its latest disclosure document’s year-end figure. The change in units is each franchisor’s Item 20 for its latest fiscal year, ours included.
  • Figures are as printed in each franchisor’s disclosure document or on its own website, except the Döner Haus figures labeled company figures, which no disclosure document carries. “Royalty + fund” adds the royalty and the fund percentage; required local advertising is its own row.
  • 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. Döner Haus: 0 (0 in 2023, 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025)9. German Doner Kebab: 7 (0 in 2023, 0 in 2024, 7 in 2025), 3 ceased, 4 reacquired1.
  • Franchised units and reacquisitions are each franchisor’s Item 20 Tables 3 and 4 for its latest fiscal year. Döner Haus: 0 franchised at the start of 2025 + 1 opened = 1. German Doner Kebab: 10 franchised at the start of 2025 − 3 ceased operations − 4 reacquired by the franchisor = 3; Table 4 carried 3 of the 4 reacquired as company-owned.
  • Equity and what each franchisor owes its owners or affiliates are the franchisor company’s own audited Item 21 statements for the same fiscal year, ours included; they describe the franchisor, not any franchised restaurant. A negative equity is a stockholder’s or members’ deficit.
  • Our figures: 2025 net loss of $84,7739, members’ equity of $96,7239 and $0 owed to our members or affiliates9 from the audited statements in Item 21 of our disclosure document, and units at December 31, 20259 from its Item 20; cash reserves11, the stores open and under construction12, and how many of the open stores are franchised12, as stated by Döner Haus.

German Doner Kebab cover risks, word for word

  • Special risk 5, page iv: “Unregistered Trademark. The primary trademark that you will use in your business is not federally registered. If the franchisor’s right to use this trademark in your area is challenged, you may have to identify your business and its products or services with a name that differs from that used by other franchisees or the franchisors.”1

Sources

  1. German Doner Kebab Franchise Disclosure Document, Minnesota-registered copy (file 11573), GDK USA, Inc., issued August 19, 2026 — Items 5, 6, 7 and 11; cover, special risk 7, page iv; effective in Minnesota October 30, 2026; Item 20, notes to tables; Item 20, Table 3; cover, special risk 5, page iv.
  2. German Doner Kebab Franchise Disclosure Document, copy filed in Wisconsin (file 642423), GDK USA, Inc., issued August 19, 2026 — Item 21, balance sheet, accumulated deficit at December 31, 2025, PDF page 71; Item 21, independent auditor’s report, PDF page 68; related party transactions, PDF page 83.
  3. CARDS franchise registrations, GDK USA, Inc., Minnesota Department of Commerce, accessed October 30, 2026 — Orders of Cancellation of July 1, 2020, May 1, 2022 and October 9, 2024, files 8463, 9358 and 10325; file 11573, deficiency notices of October 9, 20 and 23, 2026.
  4. Regulated entity record, GDK USA, Inc., California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, accessed October 30, 2026 — entity 418834, application app-32970; no registration since April 21, 2025.
  5. Electronic Filing Depository record, German Doner Kebab, North American Securities Administrators Association, accessed October 30, 2026 — New York (none in effect since April 30, 2026), Illinois (May 2024 to October 2025) and Rhode Island registration periods.
  6. Franchise registration search, Doner Kebab Outlet, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, accessed October 30, 2026 — files 634676 and 639752, no registration from July 25, 2024 to September 24, 2025.
  7. Securities licensee lookup, GDK USA Inc, Washington Department of Financial Institutions, accessed October 30, 2026 — files 70016446 (“Closed – Terminated”) and 70018729.
  8. Google Maps listings for German Doner Kebab at its former US addresses, Google, accessed October 31, 2026 — listings at 2148 Texas Drive, Sugar Land; 465 86th Street, Bay Ridge; 125 East Broad Street, Westfield; 224 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn, viewed October 31, 2026.
  9. Döner Haus Franchise Disclosure Document, Doner Haus Franchising LLC, issued April 7, 2026 — Items 5, 6, 7 and 20; Item 20, Table 3; Item 21, statement of operations, PDF page 136; Item 21, balance sheet, PDF page 135.
  10. Döner Haus current site requirement, Döner Haus, October 30, 2026 (company figure) — store size.
  11. Döner Haus cash reserves, Döner Haus, October 30, 2026 (company figure) — cash on account, October 30, 2026.
  12. Döner Haus store count, Döner Haus, October 31, 2026 (company figure) — stores open and under construction, October 31, 2026; stores open and franchised, October 31, 2026.

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.