Cousins Maine Lobster franchise research

Investment by format

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

Investment sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · Greater of 6% of Gross Sales or $3,500/month, paid monthly (5th of month) based on prior month's Gross Sales

Marketing contribution

2% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Not captured

Other fees

Deposit Account replenishment to $20,000; Late/dishonored payment fee $50/day; Default fee $300 per default

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$50,000 to $75,000 for pre- and post-opening expenses (sales taxes, recruitment, on-site training, payroll processing, janitorial, utilities, supplies) and operating capital; includes required $50,000 minimum average daily balance in the Storefront's operating bank account; assumes no owner salary.

Fees sourceFDD p.12 ↗

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.18 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average and median annual Gross Sales of franchised Storefronts open the full 12 months of the year

Reporting period

FY2025 (January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025)

Sample

2 franchised Storefronts (out of 4 total during the year; 2 units excluded because they closed mid-year without being open a full 12 months)

Reported average

$1,299,825.37

Reported median

$1,299,825.37

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.47 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

4

Year-end outlets

2

Net change

-2

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

0

Terminations

2

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

0

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

0

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.49 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

3 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$520,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

3 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

1 / 5

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 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Cousins Maine Lobster franchise cost?

standard (unit Storefront franchise): $266,600 to $965,800 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Cousins Maine Lobster owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average and median annual Gross Sales of franchised Storefronts open the full 12 months of the year. Sample: 2 franchised Storefronts (out of 4 total during the year; 2 units excluded because they closed mid-year without being open a full 12 months). Period: FY2025 (January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.47 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Cousins Maine Lobster?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 1 / 5. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $520,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 3 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗