Bake Cheese TartFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A BAKE CHEESE TART franchise requires a total initial investment of $206K – $440K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $799K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $206K – $440K
- 33rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $799K
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 13th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-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
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $206K – $440K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $799K/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 45/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- BAKE FRANCHISE, INC.
- Parent company
- BAKE USA, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Bake Inc. (Bake Japan)
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 10250 SANTA MONICA BLVD, SUITE 2900, LOS ANGELES, CA 90067
- Auditor
- SCHILD & CO., INC.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Overview
About
Franchisees operate retail bakery/café locations specializing in Japanese-style cheese tarts and baked goods, managing daily production, food safety compliance, POS operations, and customer service. Day-to-day responsibilities include inventory management, staff scheduling, food preparation/quality control, and retail sales in a fast-casual or quick-service format.
- CEO
- Hidekazu Kasai
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $9K | $15K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $157K | $385K |
| Total initial investment | $206K | $440K |
Source: BAKE CHEESE TART 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$128K
16.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
38%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
31 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $206K – $440K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $9K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $3K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $799K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Company-owned
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 28 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $630K→$967K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 6 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Bake Cheese Tart Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- 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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 4.3%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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
Extremely limited franchisee base (1 unit) combined with undisclosed net income and wide investment range creates significant due diligence gaps and unproven franchise economics.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · SCHILD & CO., INC.⚠ Going-concern note flagged
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 45 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 1 franchised unit reported — indicates minimal system growth and unproven franchise model scalability
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 — impossible to assess actual profitability or validate $771k average revenue claim
- 03MEDHigh initial investment range ($205k-$440k) relative to disclosed average revenue with unknown profit margins creates ROI uncertainty
- 04MINOR5% royalty on gross revenues (not net) is favorable, but lacks transparency on actual franchisee take-home after CoGS and labor
- 05MINORSingle unit makes validation nearly impossible — cannot compare performance across multiple locations or market conditions
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 | 10 years |
| Territory type | Radius or defined geographical area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory radius | 0.1 mi |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 11 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 44 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
4 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
BAKE CHEESE TART · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a BAKE CHEESE TART franchise?
The total investment to open a BAKE CHEESE TART franchise ranges from $206K – $440K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do BAKE CHEESE TART franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the BAKE CHEESE TART FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $799K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is BAKE CHEESE TART's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for BAKE CHEESE TART (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 BAKE CHEESE TART franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, BAKE CHEESE TART has 1 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is BAKE CHEESE TART a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates BAKE CHEESE TART as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 45 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent BAKE CHEESE TART, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Quick-Service Restaurants category
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.