Beef Jerky ExperienceFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Beef Jerky Experience franchise requires a total initial investment of $193K – $407K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $430K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 4.2% charge-off rate across 31 loans[1]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $193K – $407K
- 9th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $430K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 68
- 39th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 4.2%
- 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 82 to 63 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $193K – $407K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $430K/year (median $370K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 75/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 4.2% across 31 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System contracting at -23.2% 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
- The Beef Jerky Outlet Franchise, Inc.
- CEO title
- CEO
- Scott Parker
- Incorporated in
- TN
- HQ
- 2849 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Unit 250, Kodak, TN 37764
- Auditor
- UHY LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.4M
- vs $2.7M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Beef Jerky Experience franchisees operate retail locations offering specialty jerky products, snacks, and branded merchandise. Day-to-day operations include retail sales, inventory management, customer service, and local marketing to drive foot traffic and repeat business.
- CEO
- Scott Parker
- Headquarters
- TN
- Founded
- 2010
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 26
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Rent - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $8K | $40K | |
| Leasehold Improvements - Materialsnot refundable | $4K | $35K | |
| Leasehold Improvements - Demo/Space Rehabnot refundable | $10K | $50K | |
| Leasehold Improvements - Architectnot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Fixtures, Furnishings and Equipmentnot refundable | $60K | $106K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $5K | $13K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $30K | $50K | |
| Security Deposits | $4K | $10K | |
| Insurance - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $750 | $3K | |
| Business Kickstart Assets & Technology Feenot refundable | $4K | $5K | |
| Franchisor Travel and Living Expenses For On-site Trainingnot refundable | $3K | $8K | |
| POS/Back Office Computer Equipment and Suppliesnot refundable | $3K | $8K | |
| Permits/Licensesnot refundable | $100 | $3K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $194K | $407K |
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.
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
$43K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
14%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $193K – $407K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · 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 | $250 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $430K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $370K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 62 units
- vs category median 13 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $93K→$1.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $223K→$694K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Beef Jerky Experience Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 68
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 15
- Turnover rate
- 22.1%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 93%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- -16.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -23.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Transfer rate
- 1.5%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 80.8%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 22.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 11 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.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 31
- Loan volume
- $4.9M
- Median loan
- $160K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 4.2%
- 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)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 16
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Contracting franchise system with undisclosed profitability, franchisor financial concerns, and deteriorating unit economics warrants extreme caution.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · UHY LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 75 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 16% YoY (68 to ~57 units) — indicates system contraction and franchisee struggles
- 02MINORNo net income disclosure despite $430k average revenue — suggests thin margins or franchisor hiding profitability data
- 03HIGHGoing Concern = False — potential financial instability at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($193k-$407k) paired with declining units signals poor ROI for current franchisees
- 05HIGHNo litigation disclosed but system shrinkage suggests underlying operational or support issues
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 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 |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Sevier County, Tennessee |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Tennessee |
| 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
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 61 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
11 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Beef Jerky Experience · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Beef Jerky Experience franchise?
The total investment to open a Beef Jerky Experience franchise ranges from $193K – $407K, 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 Beef Jerky Experience franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Beef Jerky Experience FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $430K. The median is $370K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Beef Jerky Experience's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Beef Jerky Experience has a charge-off rate of 4.2% across 31 loans, meaning 4.2% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Beef Jerky Experience franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Beef Jerky Experience has 68 total units in the United States, including 82 franchised units and 5 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Beef Jerky Experience a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Beef Jerky Experience as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 75 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 Beef Jerky Experience, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Full-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Full-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.