Baja Fresh franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.43 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$10,000 to $30,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of total weekly Gross Sales, debited weekly (Thursdays); may rise to up to 18% of Gross Sales during breach/default periods

Marketing contribution

3% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Data Fees up to $75/month for POS data polling, plus $55/month POS Help Desk phone support maintenance contract

Other fees

Annual Meeting Registration Fee up to $1,000/year; $3,000 minimum Depository Account (replenished as debited); NY-only reporting Surcharge up to $10/week

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$42,400 to $73,500 (3-month working capital estimate); excludes pre-opening training expenses, pre-opening food waste, managerial salaries, and any payment to owner

Fees sourceFDD p.36 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.43 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average and median gross sales for existing franchised outlets, with top 20% and bottom 20% outlet cohorts

Reporting period

FY2025: December 1, 2024 through November 30, 2025

Sample

65 franchised outlets (existing locations open the full fiscal year, not newly opened, not temporarily closed) out of 67 total franchised stores as of 11/30/2025

Reported average

$822,568

Reported median

$813,419

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.83 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

67

Year-end outlets

67

Net change

+0

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

1

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

3

Other closures

2

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

2

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.84 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

0 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

Not captured

Median loan window

Not captured

Median loan sample

Not captured

Historical charge-off share

20.00%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

7 / 35

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Baja Fresh franchise cost?

Traditional (in-line/end-cap/free-standing, ~1,700 sq ft): $428,560 to $1,034,290; Non-Traditional (600-1,200 sq ft): $224,950 to $791,200 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $10,000 to $30,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.43 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Baja Fresh owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average and median gross sales for existing franchised outlets, with top 20% and bottom 20% outlet cohorts. Sample: 65 franchised outlets (existing locations open the full fiscal year, not newly opened, not temporarily closed) out of 67 total franchised stores as of 11/30/2025. Period: FY2025: December 1, 2024 through November 30, 2025.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.83 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Baja Fresh?

20.00%; numerator / denominator: 7 / 35. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗