Bar LouieFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Bar Louie franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.1M – $3.9M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $3.1M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.1M – $3.9M
- 43rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $3.1M
- 25th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 66
- 39th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 25.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
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 21 to 18 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.1M – $3.9M including a $50K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $3.1M/year (median $3.0M).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 61/100.
- System contracting at -14.3% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- BLH Restaurant Franchises LLC
- Parent company
- BLH Acquisition Co. LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- The Colonnade, 15305 Dallas Parkway – 12th Floor, Addison, Texas 75001
- Auditor
- Grant Thornton LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $145K
- vs $143K prior year
Overview
About
Bar Louie franchisees operate upscale casual dining establishments that serve alcohol, food, and beverages in a lounge/bar atmosphere. Day-to-day operations involve managing staff scheduling, food/beverage inventory, customer service, POS systems, marketing locally, and managing P&L against 5% royalty obligations to the franchisor.
- CEO
- Brian K. Wright
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 1990
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 6
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $75K | $225K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $940K | $3.7M |
| Total initial investment | $1.1M | $3.9M |
Source: Bar Louie 2024 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
$263K
8.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
10.1 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.1M – $3.9M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $75K – $225K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $3.0M
- Item 19 type
- historical
- Sample size
- 17 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $1.4M→$6.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Bar Louie Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 66
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Turnover rate
- 1.5%
- Company-owned
- 48
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 27%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -10.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -14.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 21 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 5
- Loan volume
- $7.6M
- Median loan
- $1.4M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 25.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 75.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Bar Louie's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 5-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Bar Louie presents elevated risk due to system contraction, unresolved litigation over franchise practices, undisclosed profitability metrics, and a franchisor business model potentially dependent on new franchise sales rather than franchisee prosperity.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Grant Thornton LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 61 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 10% YoY (66 units), indicating system contraction and potential market saturation or operational challenges
- 02HIGHRecent litigation with Fortney family franchisees alleging breach of contract and franchise statute violations, resulting in forced location transfer to franchisor
- 03MINORNo average net income disclosure (Item 19) despite $3.09M average revenue—inability or unwillingness to provide profitability data is a major transparency red flag
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($1.06M–$3.95M) with 5% royalty creates significant capital risk and ongoing cost burden in contracting system
- 05MINORHigh initial franchise fee ($50,000) combined with declining unit count suggests franchisor may be relying on new unit sales rather than supporting existing franchisee success
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 | 3 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | 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 | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 1 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 185 hrs
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
65 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Bar Louie · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Bar Louie franchise?
The total investment to open a Bar Louie franchise ranges from $1.1M – $3.9M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Bar Louie franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Bar Louie FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.1M. The median is $3.0M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Bar Louie's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Bar Louie (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 Bar Louie franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Bar Louie has 66 total units in the United States, including 21 franchised units and 48 company-owned units.
Is Bar Louie a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bar Louie as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 61 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.