Baja SmoothiesFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Baja Smoothies franchise requires a total initial investment of $145K – $327K, including a $30K franchise fee. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $145K – $327K
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 2
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $145K – $327K including a $30K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 65/100.
- No 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
- Legal entity
- Baja Smoothies Franchise, LLC
- Incorporated in
- MN
- HQ
- 5995 Oren Ave. N, Ste. 209-270, Stillwater, MN 55083
- Auditor
- LETHERT, SKWIRA, SCHULTZ & CO. LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Affiliated brands
- Baja Smoothies
- you
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate portable smoothie carts (2 or 4 stations per unit) in high-traffic outdoor or indoor locations, preparing and selling blended fruit beverages and related products. Day-to-day operations include inventory management, customer service, cash handling, equipment maintenance, and location optimization to drive foot traffic and repeat sales.
- CEO
- Chad Warzeka
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carts, Trailer and Installed Equipmentnot refundable | $110K | $110K | |
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Carts, Trailer, Club Car and Installed Equipmentnot refundable | $225K | $225K | |
| Food, Lodging & Travel Expenses (3 people while training) | $150 | $900 | |
| Insurance | $2K | $3K | |
| Cart Compliance Fee | $0 | $10K | |
| Tax, Title and Licensing | $360 | $34K | |
| Technology Systems and POS System | $2K | $3K | |
| Additional Pre-Opening Inventory | $1K | $6K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $0 | $500 | |
| Permits and Business Licenses | $250 | $2K | |
| Professional Fees | $0 | $5K | |
| Real Estate for Equipment Storage | $0 | $1K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $0 | $7K | |
| Total initial investment | $370K | $436K |
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
- $145K – $327K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $7K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Annual Fee of $2,995 for 2-Cart Franchise or $3,995 for 4…
- Ad fund
- $750
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $7K |
| Inventory (initial) | $500 – $6K |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Baja Smoothies Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- 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
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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.
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Baja Smoothies presents HIGH RISK due to a micro-franchise system (2 units), undisclosed financial performance, franchisor going concern issues, and insufficient royalty revenue to support franchisee growth—avoid until system demonstrates sustainable unit growth and profitability.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $224,900
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · LETHERT, SKWIRA, SCHULTZ & CO. LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 2 existing units indicates an extremely underdeveloped franchise system with no meaningful track record or network support
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation; unable to assess if $144K-$326K investment can generate acceptable returns
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False, suggesting potential financial instability or operational risk at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($144K-$326K) combined with low royalty fees ($2,995-$3,995 annually) indicates franchisor may be underfunded to support franchisees adequately
- 05MEDCart-based model is inherently location-dependent and weather-vulnerable with limited scalability or revenue diversification
- 06MINOR10-year term is unusually long without demonstrated franchisee success metrics or exit data
- 07MINORTiny unit count (2) suggests either brand is pre-revenue stage or prior franchisees have exited—both are severe red flags
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Zip Code |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 150,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 28 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 16 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
14 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Baja Smoothies · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Baja Smoothies franchise?
The total investment to open a Baja Smoothies franchise ranges from $145K – $327K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Baja Smoothies franchise owners earn?
Baja Smoothies 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 Baja Smoothies's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Baja Smoothies (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 Baja Smoothies franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Baja Smoothies has 2 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 2 company-owned units.
Is Baja Smoothies a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Baja Smoothies as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 65 out of 100, 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
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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.