BluTaco Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
BluTaco is a fast-casual franchise serving tacos and Mexican-inspired fare in a compact format. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
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). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $9K – $632K
- 0th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 29
- 56th 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 avg · 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 $9K – $632K.
- RETURNSSole revenue line is "License fee" of $6,109 (2024) and $7,277 (2023) on the Statements of Operations; audited by Eide Bailly LLP (Fargo, ND), Jan 27, 2025, covering FY2024 and FY2023.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 31/100 (higher is better).
- DECLINESystem 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- BluTaco Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Pro Food Systems, Inc.
- Predecessor
- We do not have a predecessor
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Shawn Burcham
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 120 Commerce Drive, Holts Summit, Missouri 65043
- Auditor
- Eide Bailly LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6K
- vs $189K 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
- CEO
- Shawn Burcham
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2017
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 16
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 51% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown10 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
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- No continuing royalty required per Franchise Agreement.
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $15K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
BluTaco did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one BluTaco unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
36%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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
Sole revenue line is "License fee" of $6,109 (2024) and $7,277 (2023) on the Statements of Operations; audited by Eide Bailly LLP (Fargo, ND), Jan 27, 2025, covering FY2024 and FY2023.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -15.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 averages
How BluTaco Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 29
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 53.6%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -15.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -15.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 5
- Closed (3yr)
- 15
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- 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.
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
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)
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Largest disclosed settlement: $130,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Eide Bailly 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 31 / 100 verdict
- 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
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Territory type | protected |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Holts Summit, Missouri |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | DE |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 12 hrs
- Training location
- Your Restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor approves franchisee's proposed site; franchisee is responsible for finding location (within existing business)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- 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 Item 19 in the BluTaco 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 BluTaco FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 28 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is BluTaco a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates BluTaco as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 31 out of 100 (higher is better), 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 BluTaco, 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.