Açai Republic Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Acai Republic is a quick-service franchise serving acai bowls, smoothies, and juices. Franchisees run the shops, managing fresh prep, inventory, and fast counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Açai Republic franchise requires a total initial investment of $178K – $505K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $178K – $505K
- 19th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 11th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 29
- 56th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants 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 $178K – $505K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 73/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 185.7% CAGR over 3 years with 29 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Açai Republic Franchise Development, LLC
- CEO title
- Managing Member
- Adriano Pereira
- CEO experience
- 5 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- California
- HQ
- 632 El Camino Real, #C, Tustin, California, 92780
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $545K
- vs $363K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Adriano Pereira
- Headquarters
- California
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 48% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Training Travel and Living Expensesnot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Lease and Utility Depositsnot refundable | $9K | $15K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $25K | $150K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, Kitchen Equipmentnot refundable | $20K | $100K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $11K | $25K | |
| Computer Systems and Technologynot refundable | $7K | $10K | |
| Plans, Permits, and Licensesnot refundable | $4K | $12K | |
| Office Equipment and Suppliesnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $8K | $13K | |
| Grand Openingnot refundable | $5K | $8K | |
| Miscellaneousnot refundable | $14K | $30K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Monthsnot refundable | $38K | $100K | |
| Total initial investment | $178K | $505K |
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
- $178K – $505K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $38K – $100K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $25 |
| Inventory (initial) | $11K – $25K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Açai Republic 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 Açai Republic unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
27%
Below 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: 2025 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 7.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System expanding at 185.7% CAGR over 3 years across 29 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Açai Republic Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 29
- Opened
- 7
- 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
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 71%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +185.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +185.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 7
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 7 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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
Açai Republic presents extreme risk: a franchise system hemorrhaging 50% of units annually with no financial transparency, unknown profitability, and potential franchisor going concern issues.
Litigation (Item 3)
Item 3 states no litigation is required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 73 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORSystem collapsed 50% YoY (29 units down from ~58) — severe contraction indicates fundamental business model failure
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure — cannot verify average unit economics, profitability, or break-even timeline
- 03HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE — franchisor may lack financial stability to support franchisees or honor obligations
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($178k-$505k) paired with unknown ROI creates extreme downside risk
- 05MED5% royalty on undisclosed revenues offers no transparency on typical franchisee earnings potential
- 06MEDRapid unit decline suggests widespread franchisee dissatisfaction, closure, or non-renewal
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Orange County, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | franchisee's state (state where Cafe is located) |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 states no litigation is required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 22 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 111 hrs
- Training location
- Company Cafe, Orange County, California
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
33 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Açai Republic · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Açai Republic franchise?
The total investment to open a Açai Republic franchise ranges from $178K – $505K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Açai Republic franchise owners earn?
Açai Republic 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 Açai Republic 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 Açai Republic FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Açai Republic's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Açai Republic (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 Açai Republic franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Açai Republic has 29 total units in the United States, including 21 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Açai Republic a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Açai Republic as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 73 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.