Acai Express Food Truck Franchise Cost & 2023 FDD Data
73/100
Strongest tier
73 this brand51 Quick-Service Restaurants medianlikely 54–92: narrower with more SBA loans and a newer filing (low confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#422 of 3,068 graded brands
Why an A: Helped by financial health, unit growth, legal record and transparency. Held back by scale. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $146K – $218K
- An Acai Express Food Truck format
- Avg gross sales
- not extracted
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from the FDD filing. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
This data is from a 2023 FDD. Current terms may differ. Always verify with the franchisor's latest disclosure document.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2023 FDD
Per the 2023 FDD, a Acai Express Food Truck franchise requires a total initial investment of $146K – $218K for the An Acai Express Food Truck format (the filing prices $146K to $429K across two formats), including a $25K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 6.0%. The 2023 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. Verdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2023 FDD · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high (issued more than two years ago)
Evidence for the headline figures: thin✓ 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 scored4 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Quick-Service Restaurants median
Top edge: green = better than the Quick-Service Restaurants median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSNo Item 19 gross sales figure is on file for this brand. We have not established what its FDD discloses.
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 10 (10 opened, 0 closed).
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $24K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $36K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $145K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (1)
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no lawsuit naming the franchisor in Item 3, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file. Not on file here, so ask: unit trend, SBA charge-off rate against the category median, jury-trial waiver and supplier rebates.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 63% below the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($487K).
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Acai Express Franchising Inc. and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Item 7 (startup costs) · 2 formats · 2023 FDD
Every building format
The filing prints a separate Item 7 table for each format.
2 formats, from $146K to $429K
| Format | Total investment | Page |
|---|---|---|
| An Acai Express Shop | $158K – $429K | p.21 |
| An Acai Express Food Truck(the range shown above) | $146K – $218K | p.24 |
FDD Item 7 (startup costs) · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (first 3 months) | $10K | $20K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $111K | $173K |
| Total initial investment | $146K | $218K |
Source: Acai Express Food Truck 2023 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fundBrand-wide marketing pool. 2% of weekly Gross Sales (Brand Development Fund); franchisor may increase but not to exceed 4% of Gross Sales | 2.0% |
| Technology feeTechnology Fee $200 per month for company website (online ordering for take-out) plus intranet with benchmarking, marketing, and secure communications | $200/month |
| Transfer fee | $12,500 |
| Renewal fee | $5,000 |
| Total fee loadabove the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.0% (heavy) | 8.0% of sales |
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Acai Express Food Truck unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $182K Item 7 midpoint (An Acai Express Food Truck format) is a $145K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $24K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $36K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $182K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $145K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
No Item 19 gross sales figure for Acai Express Food Truck is on file. The return models need one gross sales figure to start from, plus the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions; nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Acai Express Food Truck unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Not disclosed in Item 19. Enter your own gross sales assumption
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
No Item 19 figures are on file for this brand. Enter your own costs from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $146K to $218K
Item 7's $10K to $20K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies annual revenue, COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $145K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
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: 2023 FDD · filed by Acai Express Franchising Inc.
Financial performance
We have not established what this franchisor's Item 19 says. The FDD on file either has no locatable Item 19 or could not be read, so no figure is published here.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Acai Express Food Truck compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants 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.
System figures: see Acai Express
System figures: see Acai Express
Government records
SBA loan data
Matched to this brand from SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan records.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What are the risks?
Main risk in the grade: scale. The reasons are below.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade A: Strongest tier, 73/100 (category median 51); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why an A, factor by factor
- Financial health HelpsAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive
- Unit economics NeutralNo Item 19 sales figure to set against the investment, so neutral
- Unit growth HelpsTurnover 0.0%
- Scale Weighs on it, weakest dimensionFranchising since 2014
- Legal HelpsNo litigation naming the franchisor in Item 3
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 status not confirmed (neither credit nor penalty); audited financials
- Adjustments after the six dimensions (-3 points)Filing age: the newest filing on file is from 2023, and older filings may no longer describe the system, so it took 3 points off.
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
Item 3 states: "No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item."
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
System figures: see Acai Express
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 2 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | Owner-operator not required |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Governing law | PR |
Items 5 (initial fees), 7 (startup costs), 12 (territory) and 20 (outlet counts) · development agreement
Area development (several units)
The filing offers a development agreement for several units.
Every term, with its page
- Development fee
- If you choose to develop more than three Franchised Businesses, the Development Fee will increase by $10,000 for each additional unit you commit to develop..
2023 FDD p.29
“If you choose to develop more than three Franchised Businesses, the Development Fee will increase by $10,000 for each additional unit you commit to develop.” - Signed, not yet open
- 22 franchises sold but not open at year end (Item 20, Table 5; see Growth). Ask how long they have been waiting and why.
Each unit still needs its own Item 7 investment on top of the development fee. Have a franchise attorney read the schedule and the default terms before you sign.
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 41 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Franchisee contacts
We hold no owner list for this brand. Item 20 of the FDD lists the current and former owners; the free FDD is the source.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Acai Express Food Truck franchise?
Per the 2023 FDD, the total investment to open a Acai Express Food Truck franchise ranges from $146K to $218K for the An Acai Express Food Truck format, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. Across every format the filing prices, totals run from $146K to $429K (two formats). This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. It usually leaves out buying land or a building; Item 7's notes say what is excluded.
What do Acai Express Food Truck franchise owners earn?
No average owner earnings figure for Acai Express Food Truck is on file. Item 19, where a franchisor may disclose what its outlets earn, is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and we have not established what this brand's FDD says. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Acai Express Food Truck?
Acai Express Food Truck is franchised by Acai Express Franchising Inc. Source: FDD Item 1, 2023 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Acai Express Food Truck 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 Acai Express Food Truck FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Acai Express Food Truck's franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate, and Acai Express Food Truck has too few resolved SBA 7(a) loans on file (fewer than 10) to show an SBA charge-off rate that would mean anything. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. Review the turnover and closure figures in Item 20 of the FDD and speak with current and former franchisees.
Is Acai Express Food Truck a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Acai Express Food Truck an A Verdict grade (Strongest tier) with a verdict score of 73 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by financial health (audited financials), unit growth, legal record and transparency. Held back by scale (franchising since 2014). The “Why an A” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.