Famous Dave'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.38 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$10,000 to $35,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of Revenues, paid weekly (Tuesday for preceding week)

Marketing contribution

1% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$200-$325 per month (Technology Support Fees), plus $3,500-$4,500 one-time Network Infrastructure Equipment and Security fee

Other fees

Audit Fees ($1,000-$10,000, only if underreporting >2% found); Additional Training Per Diem ($750/day/trainer); Document Administration Fee ($500 per amendment)

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$5,000-$10,000 for ghost/cloud kitchen, line service, and full service; $5,000-$15,000 for counter service; covers supplies, food/beverage inventory, local advertising, utilities and other operating costs for the first 3 months, not offset by operating revenues

Fees sourceFDD p.33 ↗

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.38 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

average and median annual Net Revenues (systemwide and franchised-only), with above/below average and median counts and low/high range

Reporting period

Fiscal Year 2025 (ended November 30, 2025)

Sample

89 systemwide restaurants (59 franchised + 30 company-owned) open the entire fiscal year, excluding ghost kitchen outlets

Reported average

$2,919,786

Reported median

$2,831,846

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.73 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

76

Year-end outlets

70

Net change

-6

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

0

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

8

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

1

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.75 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

5 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$458,500

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

4 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

1 / 6

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 Famous Dave's franchise cost?

Add-On Ghost Kitchen/Cloud Kitchen (lease): $53,500 to $645,000; Add-On Ghost Kitchen/Cloud Kitchen (purchase premises): $53,500 to $1,820,000; Line Service (lease): $435,000 to $1,045,000; Line Service (purchase premises): $824,500 to $2,020,000; Counter Service (lease): $689,000 to $1,485,000; Counter Service (purchase premises): $1,944,000 to $3,147,500; Full Service (lease): $1,254,500 to $2,865,000; Full Service (purchase premises): $3,179,000 to $4,440,000 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $10,000 to $35,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.38 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Famous Dave's owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: average and median annual Net Revenues (systemwide and franchised-only), with above/below average and median counts and low/high range. Sample: 89 systemwide restaurants (59 franchised + 30 company-owned) open the entire fiscal year, excluding ghost kitchen outlets. Period: Fiscal Year 2025 (ended November 30, 2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.73 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Famous Dave's?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 1 / 6. 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: $458,500; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 4 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗