Barney Brown Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $197K – $597K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Barney Brown is a fast-casual franchise serving made-to-order deli sandwiches and salads, run as dine-in shops or delivery-only virtual kitchens. Franchisees run the shops, managing food prep, staffing, and delivery.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Barney Brown franchise requires a total initial investment of $197K – $597K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: partial✓ 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 scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $197K – $597K
- 21st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned onlyn=2
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 2
- 9th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $197K – $597K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports gross sales and profit components rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 35/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports gross sales and profit components rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Barney Brown Franchise, LLC
- Parent company
- Barney Brown, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
- Matthew Baer
- CEO experience
- 8 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- NY
- HQ
- 822 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10001
- Auditor
- Roos & McNabb CPA'S
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Matthew Baer
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 18% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Pickup Location)not refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements (Pickup Location) | $30K | $250K | |
| Lease Deposits - Three Months (Pickup Location) | $9K | $48K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (Pickup Location) | $44K | $110K | |
| Signage (Pickup Location) | $3K | $12K | |
| Computer, Software and Point of Sales System (Pickup Location) | $7K | $11K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing (Pickup Location) | $10K | $10K | |
| Initial Inventory (Pickup Location) | $15K | $30K | |
| Utility Deposits (Pickup Location) | $500 | $3K | |
| Insurance Deposits - Three Months (Pickup Location) | $4K | $9K | |
| Travel for Initial Training (Pickup Location) | $3K | $7K | |
| Professional Fees (Pickup Location) | $6K | $22K | |
| Licenses and Permits (Pickup Location) | $500 | $2K | |
| Wrapped Vehicle (Pickup Location) | $0 | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months (Pickup Location) | $35K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $197K | $597K |
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
- $197K – $597K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $50K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $30K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Barney Brown is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Barney Brown unit return on the cash you put in?
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.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a sample of only 2
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and profit components
- Sample size
- 2
- vs category median 19 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.0M→$2.1MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 50 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 781 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales and profit components rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Barney Brown 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.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Micro-franchise system (2 units) with opaque financials, undisclosed net income, and wide investment variance presents elevated due diligence risk despite no litigation and protected territory.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Roos & McNabb CPA'S
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 states audited financial statements for FYE Dec 31 2024, 2023, 2022 are attached as Exhibit D, but Exhibit D in this text extract contains only the cover header with no balance sheet, income statement, or auditor report content.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 35 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 2 units in system with unknown growth trajectory — insufficient scale and proof of concept
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD — cannot validate 6% royalty impact or actual profitability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | New York County, New York |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NY |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 88 hrs
- Training location
- New York, New York
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 7 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- proprietary information management and point of sale system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: proprietary information management and point of sale system
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Barney Brown franchise?
The total investment to open a Barney Brown franchise ranges from $197K – $597K, 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 Barney Brown franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the Barney Brown FDD discloses outlet figures from $1.0M to $2.1M but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Barney Brown?
Barney Brown is franchised by Barney Brown Franchise, LLC. Its parent company is Barney Brown, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Barney Brown 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 Barney Brown FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Barney Brown's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Barney Brown (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 Barney Brown franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Barney Brown has 2 total units in the United States.
Is Barney Brown a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Barney Brown as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 35 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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 Barney Brown, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.