BluTacoFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A BluTaco franchise requires a total initial investment of $9K – $632K. 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
- $9K – $632K
- 0th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 29
- 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 33 to 28 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $9K – $632K including a $0 franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 79/100.
- System contracting at -15.2% 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
- BluTaco Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Pro Food Systems, Inc.
- Predecessor
- We do not have a predecessor
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 120 Commerce Drive, Holts Summit, Missouri 65043
- Auditor
- Eide Bailly
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $189K
- vs $6K prior year
Affiliated brands
- has not offered franchises in any other line of business
- Champs Chicken Franchising
- do not operate
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
BluTaco franchisees operate fast-casual taco restaurants, likely handling food preparation, inventory management, staffing, and customer service. Day-to-day work involves production, sales, and operations management in a small footprint location.
- CEO
- Shawn Burcham
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2017
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 16
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 10 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Feesnot refundable | $0 | $100K | |
| Construction, Remodeling, and Site Improvementsnot refundable | $0 | $300K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, Decor, and Signagenot refundable | $2K | $150K | |
| Training Expenses: Wages and Benefit Costsnot refundable | $2K | $10K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Insurance for One Yearnot refundable | $0 | $13K | |
| Security Deposits, Utility Deposits, Utilities, Business Licenses, and Other Prepaid Expensesnot refundable | $0 | $4K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $3K | $15K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $3K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $9K | $632K |
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
- $9K – $632K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 0
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $3K |
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 BluTaco Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 29
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Turnover rate
- 17.2%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -15.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -15.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 5
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 84.8%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 14.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- California
- New York
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
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
BluTaco presents HIGH RISK: a rapidly contracting system (15% YoY decline) with a franchisor in going concern status, no royalty stream, and undisclosed unit-level financials.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $130,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Eide Bailly
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 79 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem declining 15.2% YoY (29 units) — suggests franchisee dissatisfaction or market failure
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status = franchise company has material doubt about survival
- 03MINORZero royalties + $0 franchise fee = franchisor has minimal recurring revenue and weak incentive to support franchisees
- 04MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure — inability or unwillingness to provide Item 19 indicates poor unit economics
- 05MINORWide investment range ($9K–$632K) suggests inconsistent execution or undefined business model
- 06MINORUnknown term length — lack of transparency on commitment period is unusual and risky
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Territory type | Radius or Site-specific |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 11 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant and franchisor's facility
- POS system
- MicroSale
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MicroSale
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
31 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
BluTaco · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a BluTaco franchise?
The total investment to open a BluTaco franchise ranges from $9K – $632K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do BluTaco franchise owners earn?
BluTaco 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 BluTaco's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for BluTaco (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 BluTaco franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, BluTaco has 29 total units in the United States, including 33 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is BluTaco a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates BluTaco as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 79 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.