5 Star Nutrition Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $153K – $286K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
5 Star Nutrition is a retail franchise selling supplements, protein, and sports-nutrition products with customer coaching. Franchisees run the stores, managing inventory, product consultations, and loyalty-driven repeat sales.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A 5 Star Nutrition franchise requires a total initial investment of $153K – $286K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.5% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2024. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $153K – $286K
- 31st pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 7.5%
- 52nd pct Healthcare
- Units
- 56
- 57th pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $153K – $286K including a $25K franchise fee, 7.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 33/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- 5 Star Nutrition Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Defyned Brands, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2024 FDD
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Brian Marver
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 8500 Shoal Creek, Building 4, Suite 150, Austin, Texas 78757
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brian Marver
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 20
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 32% below the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25K | $25K | |
| Utility and Security Deposits | $250 | $2K | |
| Business Licenses/Permits | $250 | $1K | |
| Construction/Leasehold Improvements | $9K | $40K | |
| Architect/Design Fees | $0 | $8K | |
| Rent (3 months) | $5K | $21K | |
| Signage | $11K | $28K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $24K | $36K | |
| POS/Computer Software and Hardware | $12K | $20K | |
| Office Supplies | $500 | $1K | |
| Inventory | $40K | $55K | |
| Professional Services | $1K | $5K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $3K | |
| Training Expenses | $5K | $11K | |
| Initial Launch Marketing | $10K | $12K | |
| Additional Funds - Initial 3 months | $10K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $153K | $286K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $153K – $286K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.5%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $3K |
| Renewal fee | $6K |
| Inventory (initial) | $40K – $55K |
| Total fee load | 8.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
5 Star Nutrition makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one 5 Star Nutrition unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.5% (near the Healthcare median).
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Healthcare medians
How 5 Star Nutrition Compares
Category median of published Healthcare brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 56
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 56
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 10.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 20 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
20
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Three matters disclosed: (1) Cranor v. 5 Star Nutrition, LLC (W.D. Tex.) TCPA putative class action, settled confidentially and dismissed with prejudice July 2021; (2) Environmental Research Center, Inc. v. Brick & Mortar Distributing/5 Star Nutrition (Cal. Super. Ct., Alameda) Proposition 65 action, settled via Consent Judgment entered March 2019, $100,000 paid plus warning/testing obligations; (3) United States v. Defyned Brands a/k/a 5 Star Nutrition, LLC (W.D. Tex.) FDA misbranding criminal case against parent/affiliate, resolved by Dec 2023 plea agreement with guilty plea to three misdemeanors and $4.5 million penalty paid over 90 monthly installments.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
No audited financials on file
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 33 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHMultiple serious litigations including TCPA class action, Prop 65 product safety violations, and federal misdemeanor plea for misbranding dietary ingredients—core product integrity issues
- 02MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income (Item 19) prevents ROI validation; combined with 56 units of unknown growth trajectory, profitability is unverifiable
- 03MINORHigh royalty rate (7.5%) paired with $25,000 franchise fee and required territory investment creates ongoing cost burden with unclear sales benchmarks
- 04HIGHFederal criminal plea agreement (USA v. Defyned Brands) for misbranding suggests regulatory compliance failures affecting the supplement/nutrition category
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Varies; defined by zip codes or circular radius, no established minimum size |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | American Arbitration Association offices nearest to franchisor's principal place of business (Austin, TX); litigation venue Travis County, Texas / Western District of Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Three matters disclosed: (1) Cranor v. 5 Star Nutrition, LLC (W.D. Tex.) TCPA putative class action, settled confidentially and dismissed with prejudice July 2021; (2) Environmental Research Center, Inc. v. Brick & Mortar Distributing/5 Star Nutrition (Cal. Super. Ct., Alameda) Proposition 65 action, settled via Consent Judgment entered March 2019, $100,000 paid plus warning/testing obligations; (3) United States v. Defyned Brands a/k/a 5 Star Nutrition, LLC (W.D. Tex.) FDA misbranding criminal case against parent/affiliate, resolved by Dec 2023 plea agreement with guilty plea to three misdemeanors and $4.5 million penalty paid over 90 monthly installments.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 42 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 48 hrs
- Training location
- Austin, Texas (and a company-owned location TBD for on-the-job training)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 24 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee selects, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Designated point-of-sale/computer systems
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Designated point-of-sale/computer systems
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a 5 Star Nutrition franchise?
The total investment to open a 5 Star Nutrition franchise ranges from $153K – $286K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do 5 Star Nutrition franchise owners earn?
5 Star Nutrition makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns 5 Star Nutrition?
5 Star Nutrition is franchised by 5 Star Nutrition Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Defyned Brands, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the 5 Star Nutrition FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the 5 Star Nutrition FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is 5 Star Nutrition's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for 5 Star Nutrition (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many 5 Star Nutrition franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, 5 Star Nutrition has 56 total units in the United States.
Is 5 Star Nutrition a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates 5 Star Nutrition as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 33 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.