5 Star Nutrition Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
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]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $153K – $286K
- 31st pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 7.5%
- 44th pct Healthcare
- Units
- 56
- 58th pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare avg · 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.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 33/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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
- 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 47% 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%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- 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 | 1.0% 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 did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one 5 Star Nutrition unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
53%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 averages
How 5 Star Nutrition Compares
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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 56
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- 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
5 Star Nutrition presents HIGH RISK due to corporate going concern status, multiple product liability and regulatory violations, missing financial disclosure, and unverified unit economics in a shrinking/stagnant 56-unit system.
Litigation (Item 3)
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.
Largest disclosed settlement: $4,500,000
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
- 01HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability or restructuring at corporate level
- 02HIGHMultiple serious litigations including TCPA class action, Prop 65 product safety violations, and federal misdemeanor plea for misbranding dietary ingredients—core product integrity issues
- 03MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income (Item 19) prevents ROI validation; combined with 56 units of unknown growth trajectory, profitability is unverifiable
- 04MINORHigh royalty rate (7.5%) paired with $25,000 franchise fee and required territory investment creates ongoing cost burden with unclear sales benchmarks
- 05HIGHFederal 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 |
| 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
FDD download
5 Star Nutrition · FDD (2024) PDF
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 does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
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, including 0 franchised units and 56 company-owned units.
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), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. 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.