Culver's franchise research

Investment by format

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

Investment sourceFDD p.15 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$35,000 to $65,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

4% · Service Fee of 4% of Gross Sales, payable monthly by the 10th of the following month via EFT

Marketing contribution

2.5% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Currently not charged; franchisor reserves the right to charge an estimated $600-$1,000 per month

Other fees

Cooperative Advertising up to 4% of Gross Sales if a regional co-op is formed; Additional Training $1,000/person; Additional Assistance $500/week

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$65,000 - $120,000 estimated working capital to cover the first 3 months of operation; excludes hourly labor and benefits, food/product costs, and rent.

Fees sourceFDD p.13 ↗

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.15 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average and median gross Restaurant sales for Franchised and Company-Owned Restaurants; detailed cost/expense percentages and 'Income' for Company-Owned Restaurants; and average Franchised Restaurant sales broken out by state, interstate proximity, population, and household income (Part 2)

Reporting period

12-month period ended December 31, 2025

Sample

988 Franchised Restaurants and 7 Company-Owned Restaurants open the entire 12 months ended 12/31/2025 (Part 1, Table 1); Part 2 averages use 975 Franchised Restaurants (excludes 2025 openings, a relocated unit, and 13 non-typical locations)

Reported average

$4,142,737

Reported median

$4,036,492

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.37 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

990

Year-end outlets

1034

Net change

+44

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

45

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

1

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

20

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

192 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$402,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

46 loans

Historical charge-off share

0.00%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 215

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 Culver's franchise cost?

standard Restaurant (new construction, assumes land purchase; costs are lower if land/building are leased): $3,406,350 to $10,294,100 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $35,000 to $65,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.15 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Culver's owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average and median gross Restaurant sales for Franchised and Company-Owned Restaurants; detailed cost/expense percentages and 'Income' for Company-Owned Restaurants; and average Franchised Restaurant sales broken out by state, interstate proximity, population, and household income (Part 2). Sample: 988 Franchised Restaurants and 7 Company-Owned Restaurants open the entire 12 months ended 12/31/2025 (Part 1, Table 1); Part 2 averages use 975 Franchised Restaurants (excludes 2025 openings, a relocated unit, and 13 non-typical locations). Period: 12-month period ended December 31, 2025.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.37 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Culver's?

0.00%; numerator / denominator: 0 / 215. 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: $402,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 46 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗