Blue MartiniFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Blue Martini franchise requires a total initial investment of $3.4M – $13.0M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $3.4M – $13.0M
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 8
- 18th 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 3 to 2 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $3.4M – $13.0M including a $50K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 100/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Blue Martini Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Manager
- Mark Vasu
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 2465 Mercer Avenue, Suite 302, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Auditor
- Walker Ostrowski Williams
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $237K
- vs $266K prior year
Overview
About
Blue Martini franchisees operate upscale cocktail lounges and bars, managing day-to-day operations including alcohol service, mixology, staffing, inventory control, and customer experience. Franchisees bear full responsibility for liquor liability compliance, staff training, and adherence to local alcohol service laws while paying 5% royalties on gross revenues to corporate.
- CEO
- Mark Vasu
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 3
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $15K | $30K | |
| Training Expenses | $35K | $75K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $2.5M | $8.5M | |
| Equipment, Furniture, Fixtures, and Signage | $450K | $1.8M | |
| Point of Sale Systems, Computers, and Telecommunications | $10K | $20K | |
| Website/SEO Fee | $500 | $500 | |
| Professional Fees - Architect | $150K | $600K | |
| Professional Fees - Legal and Accounting | $15K | $25K | |
| Inventory and Supplies to Begin Operating | $50K | $120K | |
| Insurance Premiums | $40K | $300K | |
| Liquor Licenses | $10K | $1.4M | |
| Other Licenses, Permits and Deposits | $15K | $20K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $50K | $100K | |
| Total initial investment | $3.4M | $13.0M |
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
- $3.4M – $13.0M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage_of_gross · 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 | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% 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 Blue Martini Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 8
- 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
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 38%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +50.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 12.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 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 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $5.0M
- Median loan
- $5.0M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Blue Martini's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Blue Martini presents high risk: a micro-system (8 units) with active wrongful death litigation, zero financial transparency, massive capital requirements, and minimal operational scale to support franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
Wrongful death action filed April 21, 2023 in Fulton County, Georgia (Civil Action No. 20EV002324) against franchisor and franchisee. Plaintiffs alleged franchisee served alcohol to intoxicated patron who caused death. Claim of vicarious liability against franchisor. Voluntarily dismissed without prejudice on December 6, 2024. Plaintiffs may refile by June 6, 2025.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Walker Ostrowski Williams
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 100 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHActive litigation involving wrongful death and alcohol service liability with anticipated refiling in June 2025 creates significant legal and insurance exposure
- 02MEDOnly 8 units system-wide with no disclosed growth trajectory suggests minimal scale, limited support infrastructure, and potential system viability concerns
- 03MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosure (missing Item 19) prevents financial performance validation and suggests weak unit economics
- 04MEDHigh investment range ($3.39M–$12.99M) combined with undisclosed profitability creates severe ROI uncertainty
- 05HIGHPending litigation could trigger insurance rate increases, policy cancellations, or franchisor indemnification obligations affecting franchisee margins
- 06MINORAlcohol service liability in 8-unit system indicates inadequate risk management protocols and compliance training infrastructure
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 | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 0.3 mi |
| 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 | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Wrongful death action filed April 21, 2023 in Fulton County, Georgia (Civil Action No. 20EV002324) against franchisor and franchisee. Plaintiffs alleged franchisee served alcohol to intoxicated patron who caused death. Claim of vicarious liability against franchisor. Voluntarily dismissed without prejudice on December 6, 2024. Plaintiffs may refile by June 6, 2025.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 31 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 224 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Time to open
- 18 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Blue Martini · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Blue Martini franchise?
The total investment to open a Blue Martini franchise ranges from $3.4M – $13.0M, 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 Blue Martini franchise owners earn?
Blue Martini 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 Blue Martini's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Blue Martini (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 Blue Martini franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Blue Martini has 8 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 5 company-owned units.
Is Blue Martini a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Blue Martini as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 100 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.