Source: http://gourmandelle.com/fast-food-fat-profits-obesity-in-america/
In the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, the author discusses competition and staying on top while working in the fast food industry. As a franchisee, you pay thousands of dollars to create your own store. You decide to buy the property, build your own store, and run it until it runs out of business. The franchisee has to pay a certain percent of revenue and profit annually, depending on the corporation it is run by, to the corporation.
For example, Eric Schlosser describes a man, Dave Feamster, who opened his own Little Caesers restaurant. He details that Feamster received a loan from the company to open his own store. Before his store was open, he owed $200,000 to the company. He didn't make that money back until three years later. He owns five stores currently and his annual revenues end up being around $2.5 million.
The franchiser comes out ahead over the franchisee, who puts his or her time and effort in creating a chain restaurant. The joy of corporations. This photo, explains that simply. Fast food for everyone, but fat profits for the company.
Schlosser, Eric. "Success." Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. 104
