Multi-unit Ownership in Franchising: Evidence from the Fast-Food Industry in Texas

Using data on all restaurants opened in Texas between 1980 and 1995 by seven large U.S. fast-food chains, we examine the extent of multi-unit ownership among franchisees and analyze how franchisors allocate the ownership of new units. We show that franchisees with nearby units are much more likely to be assigned ownership of a new unit. Further, controlling for distance, franchisees are more likely to obtain a new unit whose market is contiguous and demographically similar to those surrounding their existing units. Finally, franchisors use these same criteria to select those units to retain as company owned.