Bandana's Bar-B-QFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Bandana's Bar-B-Q franchise requires a total initial investment of $380K – $1.2M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $380K – $1.2M
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 27
- 31st 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
Franchised units fell from 6 to 5 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $380K – $1.2M including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 52/100.
- System growing at 20.0% CAGR over 3 years with 27 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Bandana’s Franchise Systems, LLC
- Parent company
- Park Ridge Midwest Restaurants, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Rick H. White
- CEO experience
- 2006 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- MO
- HQ
- 16141 Swingley Ridge Road, Suite 205, St. Louis, Missouri 63017
- Auditor
- Wipfli LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $34.6M
- vs $32.2M prior year
Overview
About
Bandana's Bar-B-Q franchisees operate quick-service barbecue restaurants focused on smoked meats, sides, and regional BBQ offerings. Day-to-day operations include food prep/smoking, counter service or limited table service, inventory management, staffing, and brand compliance. Capital requirements reflect kitchen equipment, buildout, and working capital typical of food service.
- CEO
- Rick H. White
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2004
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 5
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $40K | $40K | |
| Lease Deposit and Rentnot refundable | $7K | $25K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $100K | $475K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $5K | $35K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Decor and Equipmentnot refundable | $80K | $250K | |
| POS Systemnot refundable | $15K | $25K | |
| Catering Vehicle (Van)not refundable | $1K | $15K | |
| Licenses, Dues, Deposits, etc.not refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Architectural and Engineering Feesnot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses while attending BQ Schoolnot refundable | $20K | $40K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $10K | $12K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Opening Team Expensesnot refundable | $10K | $30K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $3K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $70K | $245K | |
| Total initial investment | $380K | $1.2M |
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
- $380K – $1.2M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $70K – $245K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $780 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 5.5% of rev |
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 Bandana's Bar-B-Q Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 27
- 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
- 21
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 22%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +20.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 3.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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
Bandana's presents a CAUTION-level risk profile due to missing financial transparency, questionable corporate stability, tiny system size, and gross-sales-based royalties without performance visibility.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Wipfli LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 52 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Revenue/Net Income) disclosed — impossible to assess unit economics or ROI
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests potential financial instability or structural concerns at corporate level
- 03MEDOnly 27 units system-wide — very small franchise network with unclear growth trajectory and limited economies of scale
- 04MINORWide investment range ($380K–$1.23M) with no revenue benchmarks creates opacity on what franchisees actually earn
- 05MINOR5% royalty on gross sales (not net) means fees are owed regardless of profitability in this capital-intensive QSR segment
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 4 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| 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 |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Missouri |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 42 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 200 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and classroom
- POS system
- NCR Aloha POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: NCR Aloha POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
31 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Bandana's Bar-B-Q · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Bandana's Bar-B-Q franchise?
The total investment to open a Bandana's Bar-B-Q franchise ranges from $380K – $1.2M, 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 Bandana's Bar-B-Q franchise owners earn?
Bandana's Bar-B-Q 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 Bandana's Bar-B-Q's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Bandana's Bar-B-Q (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 Bandana's Bar-B-Q franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Bandana's Bar-B-Q has 27 total units in the United States, including 6 franchised units and 21 company-owned units.
Is Bandana's Bar-B-Q a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bandana's Bar-B-Q as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 52 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.
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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.