10 Big Franchises That Reject E-2 Investors

If you spend enough time searching about E-2 franchises, you’ll come across articles, posts on Reddit/Facebook with questions like:

“Can I do the E-2 visa with UPS?”
“What about McDonald’s?”
“I heard 7-Eleven works.”
“Subway is everywhere, so that must be safe, right?”

This is normal. These brands are household names. They are established. They feel “safe.”

But the E-2 visa is not about brand recognition. It is about whether the franchise system will accept non-U.S. citizens, whether you can actually secure a territory, and whether the business structure supports approval and renewals.Not to mention earns you money!

Here is the hidden truth.

The hidden truth: big brands often do not want E-2 investors

Many large franchise systems are either:

• Not open to working with non-U.S. citizens (including E-2 applicants)
  
• Extremely selective and require deep operational experience (in the U.S.!)
  
• Limited by sold-out territories or long waitlists
  
• Tight on background, liquidity, and net worth requirements
  
• Not interested in candidates whose ability to operate is contingent on visa timing
  

And it only takes one negative experience with an E-2 franchisee or even a difficult prospective franchisee for a franchisor to decide they are done with E-2 candidates.

That is why so many famous brands that show up in “E-2 visa franchise” searches end up being dead ends. Many law firms produce blogs about E-2 eligible franchises that are not accurate (include many of the names feature in the article).

Below are 10 of the most common brands people mention alongside “E-2 visa”, plus key facts you can use to evaluate them quickly.

The Top 10 Most Asked About Brands (and Key Facts)

1) The UPS Store

This is one of the most common brands E-2 investors ask about. It feels like a simple, proven retail model.

Reality check: You can waste 30+ hours and months evaluating the UPS store, speaking to a junior sales person at UPS until you find out you can not continue. Multiple clients have gone through this experience (why won’t UPS just tell them earlier?).

Key facts

• Investment range: $216K to $609K
• Total U.S. locations: 5,365 (5,350 franchised, 15 corporate)
• Royalty: 5% | Marketing: 3%
• Job count estimate: 6
• Growth rate: 2% (1 yr) / 6% (3 yr)
• Failure rate: 1% (1 yr) / 2% (3 yr)
• Franchise for sale rate: 0% (1 yr) / 14% (3 yr)
• Estimated payback period: 5.3 years
• Gross sales estimate (2024): $686,743
• E-2 visa eligible? No

Why it matters for E-2: It is retail, location dependent, and operationally real. But if the franchisor is not open to E-2 investors, the rest of the discussion is irrelevant.

2) 7-Eleven

Another brand that investors assume will be easy because it is everywhere.

Key facts

• Investment range: $142K to $1.63M
  
• Total U.S. locations: 8,254 (7,229 franchised, 1,025 corporate)
  
• Marketing fee: 1% (royalty listed as N/A in your snapshot)
  
• Job count estimate: 9
  
• Growth rate: -0% (1 yr) / -2% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 1% (1 yr) / <1% (3 yr)
  
• Franchise for sale rate: 3% (1 yr) / 9% (3 yr)
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  

Why it matters: high capital variability, territory constraints, and the brand’s selection process tends to be strict.

3) Subway

Subway comes up constantly because it is perceived as “low cost fast food.”

Key facts

• Investment range: $239K to $537K
  
• Total U.S. locations: 19,502
  
• Royalty: 8% | Marketing: 5%
  
• Job count estimate: 15
  
• Growth rate: -3% (1 yr) / -8% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 4% (1 yr) / 14% (3 yr)
  
• Franchise for sale rate: 1% (1 yr) / 18% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 7.4 years
  
• Gross sales (2023): $490,000
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  

Why it matters: even if a brand is famous, unit economics and closures matter. Declining unit count and higher closure rates are not what most E-2 investors expect when they hear “Subway.” Did you know that in the last 10 years they have closed 10,000 Subway restaurants?

4) Dunkin’

Investors ask about Dunkin’ because it is viewed as “recession resistant.” People will still drink their morning coffee at Dunkin’ right?

Key facts

• Investment range: $527K to $1.83M
  
• Total U.S. locations: 8,499 (8,465 franchised, 34 corporate)
  
• Royalty: 6% | Marketing: 5%
  
• Job count estimate: 24
  
• Growth rate: 2% (1 yr) / 6% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 2% (1 yr) / 5% (3 yr)
  
• Franchise for sale rate: 0% (1 yr) / 8% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 7.4 years
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  

Why it matters: high capital plus strict selection tends to rule out most E-2 investors early.

5) Domino’s

Domino’s is another brand that investors assume will be flexible because of delivery and technology. They really just recruit from within. Like Chick-Fil-A, they largely reward franchise licenses to current employees/managers.

Key facts

• Investment range: $156K to $744K
  
• Total U.S. locations: 7,068 (6,776 franchised, 292 corporate)
  
• Royalty: 6% | Marketing: 4%
  
• Job count estimate: 34
  
• Growth rate: 2% (1 yr) / 9% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 0% (1 yr) / 1% (3 yr)
  
• Franchise for sale rate: 0% (1 yr) / 15% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 4.1 years
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  

Why it matters: even when unit economics look strong, the franchisor’s candidate requirements often make it a non-starter for E-2.

6) KFC

KFC is a classic “I want a big brand” pick. But do you have $1,000,000 hanging around?

Key facts

• Investment range: $1.05M to $3.77M
  
• Total U.S. locations: 3,638 (3,558 franchised, 80 corporate)
  
• Royalty: 5% | Marketing: 5%
  
• Job count estimate: 44
  
• Growth rate: -4% (1 yr) / -8% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 4% (1 yr) / 7% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 10+ years
  
• E-2 posture: No
  

Why it matters: most E-2 investors underestimate both capital intensity and operational complexity in legacy fast food franchise.

7) Arby’s

Arby’s shows up often because it is part of a major franchisor ecosystem and feels established.

Key facts

• Investment range: $862K to $2.45M
  
• Total U.S. locations: 3,365 (2,286 franchised, 1,079 corporate)
  
• Royalty: 4% | Marketing: 4%
  
• Job count estimate: 33
  
• Growth rate: -1% (1 yr) / -0% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 2% (1 yr) / 5% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 11.8 years
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  

Why it matters: high capital, long payback, and franchisor selection standards are usually incompatible with typical E-2 profiles.

8) McDonald’s

McDonald’s is the most common “dream brand” I hear in E-2 conversations.

Key facts

• Investment range: $1.47M to $2.73M
  
• Total U.S. locations: 13,559 (12,887 franchised, 672 corporate)
  
• Royalty: 5% | Marketing: 4%
  
• Job count estimate: 107
  
• Growth rate: 1% (1 yr) / 1% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 1% (1 yr) / 4% (3 yr)
  
• Franchise for sale rate: 0% (1 yr) / 15% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 5.6 years
  
• Gross sales (2024): $3,838,000
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  

Why it matters: This is a sophisticated operator model. Even high-net-worth investors often do not meet the operational profile, timeline, or availability required.

9) Smoothie King

Investors often ask about Smoothie King because it feels “healthier” than fast food  and consumer demand seems stable.

Key facts

• Investment range: $661K to $1.28M
  
• Total U.S. locations: 1,201 (1,149 franchised, 52 corporate)
  
• Royalty: 6% | Marketing: 3%
  
• Job count estimate: 16
  
• Growth rate: 5% (1 yr) / 15% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 3% (1 yr) / 6% (3 yr)
  
• Franchise for sale rate: 0% (1 yr) / 14% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 5+  years
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  

Why it matters: even in strong growth systems, the capital and operational requirements can be higher than investors assume.

10) Baskin-Robbins

Another brand that comes up because it feels “simple.” How hard can selling ice cream be?

Key facts

• Investment range: $307K to $623K
  
• Total U.S. locations: 976
  
• Royalty: 6% | Marketing: 5%
  
• Job count estimate: 11
  
• Growth rate: -0% (1 yr) / -6% (3 yr)
  
• Failure rate: 4% (1 yr) / 14% (3 yr)
  
• Franchise for sale rate: 0% (1 yr) / 14% (3 yr)
  
• Estimated payback period: 8.1 years
  
• E-2 visa eligible? No
  
  

Why it matters: dessert retail is still retail. Lease risk, seasonality, and staffing are real. And if E-2 is not permitted, the discussion ends there.

What this list is really telling you

This is not a list of “bad businesses.”

This is a list of businesses that are commonly misunderstood by E-2 investors.

Brand recognition creates false confidence.

E-2 success is built on:

• A franchisor that is open to E-2 investors
  
• A business that creates real U.S. jobs
  
• An investment that is substantial relative to the model
  
• A structure that supports renewals, not just an initial approval
• And for your mental state, low investment, fast break even and easy to scale!
  
  

If you start your search with only famous logos, you often waste months before you even get to a viable option.

What to consider instead

If your priority is E-2 approval and renewability, most investors are better served by industries that are:

• service-based
  
• locally delivered
  
• staff-driven
  
• scalable through hiring
  
  

In practice, this is why categories like home care, home services, cleaning, and certain insurance and tax models tend to be more workable for E-2 investors than mega-brand retail and fast food franchises.