Camp Margaritaville®Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® franchise does not disclose total investment in its current FDD, including a $75K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $4.5M
- 32nd pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 2nd pct Lodging
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 4th pct Lodging
- Units
- 5
- 14th pct Lodging
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Lodging · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Lodging 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $4.5M including a $75K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 72/100.
- 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
- Margaritaville RV Resorts, LLC
- Parent company
- Margaritaville Enterprises, LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 6900 Turkey Lake Road, Suite 200, Orlando, Florida 32819
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $74.9M
- vs $92.5M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
Camp Margaritaville franchisees operate premium RV resort and lifestyle communities featuring furnished RV sites, branded amenities, and experiential programming inspired by the Jimmy Buffett lifestyle brand. Day-to-day operations include site management, guest services, maintenance coordination, event programming, and retail/food service management across seasonal and year-round properties.
- CEO
- John Cohlan
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1997
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 5
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 23 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Feenot refundable | $75K | $75K | |
| PIP fee (Property Improvement Plan)not refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| TIP fee (Technology Improvement Plan)not refundable | $0 | $10K | |
| Professional services fees (architect, design, market study, engineering, etc.)not refundable | $100K | $800K | |
| Insurance and Permits, licenses, deposits, and related feesnot refundable | $50K | $150K | |
| Training expenses, vendor and brand trainingnot refundable | $25K | $100K | |
| Construction, improvements, remodeling, and decorating costsnot refundable | $1.0M | $50.0M | |
| Technologynot refundable | $750K | $1.3M | |
| Website Set-Upnot refundable | $9K | $30K | |
| CRS Set-Upnot refundable | $4K | $4K | |
| CRM Set-Upnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Loyalty Program Set-Upnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Furniture, fixtures, other fixed assets, and equipment (FF&E)not refundable | $500K | $3.0M | |
| Operational Supplies and Equipment (OSE)not refundable | $250K | $500K | |
| Exterior signsnot refundable | $300K | $400K | |
| Financial, tax, and legal costsnot refundable | $600K | $750K | |
| Preopening Sales and Marketingnot refundable | $125K | $225K | |
| Photography and Videographynot refundable | $45K | $125K | |
| Medallia Set-Upnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Financial Reporting System Set-Upnot refundable | $10K | $16K | |
| Total initial investment | $4.5M | $58.5M |
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
- $4.5M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $300K – $500K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $75K |
| Renewal fee | $30K |
| Inventory (initial) | $250K – $500K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Lodging averages
How Camp Margaritaville® Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 5
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +25.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +150.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 15 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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
Camp Margaritaville presents HIGH RISK due to going concern status, withheld financial disclosures, multiple lawsuits, microscopic unit count, and unprotected territory — fundamentally unsuitable for $4.5M+ capital deployment.
Litigation (Item 3)
8 case reference(s): 1 pending, 7 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ernst & Young LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 72 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE — indicates potential financial instability or viability concerns at corporate level
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed — impossible to validate ROI; suggests weak unit economics or reluctance to disclose underperformance
- 03HIGHMultiple active litigation matters including trademark disputes, property/tort claims, and regulatory violations — indicates operational and legal governance issues
- 04MINOROnly 5 total units with 25% YoY growth insufficient to validate system stability — extremely small franchise base makes failure catastrophic
- 05MINORTerritory is unprotected — franchisees face direct competition from other company franchisees with no geographic exclusivity
- 06MEDHigh initial investment ($4.5M+) combined with undisclosed returns creates acute financial risk exposure
- 07MINORRegulatory filing violations in California demonstrate compliance failures at franchisor level
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 | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Area of Protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
8 case reference(s): 1 pending, 7 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 7 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 33 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- InfoGenesis
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: InfoGenesis
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
18 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What do CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® franchise owners earn?
CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® 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 CAMP MARGARITAVILLE®'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® (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 CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® has 5 total units in the United States, including 2 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates CAMP MARGARITAVILLE® as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 72 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.