Chefs For Seniors Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Chefs For Seniors is a senior-services franchise where personal chefs cook fresh, customized meals in seniors' homes each week. Franchisees run a service business managing chefs, client scheduling, and recurring meal-prep visits in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Chefs For Seniors franchise requires a total initial investment of $17K – $27K, including a $10K – $17K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $17K – $27K
- 0th pct Senior Care
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 62nd pct Senior Care
- Units
- 101
- 67th pct Senior Care
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Senior Care · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Senior Care 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 $17K – $27K including a $10K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFY2025 total revenue of $1,053,017 comprised of royalties $535,907, advertising $289,966, franchise fees $225,820, and other income $1,324. Audited statements of CFSF for year ended December 31, 2025.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 70/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports service fee pricing per visit (not annual revenue) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Chefs For Seniors Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Chefs For Seniors, Inc.
- CEO title
- Manager and Co-Founder / CEO
- Barrett E. Allman
- Incorporated in
- WI
- HQ
- 2169 Southern Ct., Cottage Grove, WI 53527
- Auditor
- Muhammad Zubairy, CPA PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.1M
- vs $898K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Barrett E. Allman
- Headquarters
- WI
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 36
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 91% below the typical senior care franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $10K | $10K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $500 | $2K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $7K | $16K |
| Total initial investment | $17K | $27K |
Source: Chefs For Seniors 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $17K – $27K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $500 – $2K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $17K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $3K |
| Renewal fee | $1K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Chefs For Seniors 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 Chefs For Seniors unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
444%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
FY2025 total revenue of $1,053,017 comprised of royalties $535,907, advertising $289,966, franchise fees $225,820, and other income $1,324. Audited statements of CFSF for year ended December 31, 2025.
- Item 19 type
- service fee pricing per visit (not annual revenue)
- Sample size
- 86
- vs category median 22 · large
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 79 Senior Care brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Senior Care average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports service fee pricing per visit (not annual revenue) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 14.9% CAGR over 3 years across 101 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Senior Care averages
How Chefs For Seniors Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 101
- Opened
- 18
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 4
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +14.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +14.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 18
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 4
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 4.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 91.7%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 6.9%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 2.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 36 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
36
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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
This franchise presents material risk due to complete lack of financial transparency, weak unit growth trajectory, and short contract terms that prevent informed investment decisions.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Muhammad Zubairy, CPA PC
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 70 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (average unit revenue and net income not disclosed) — impossible to validate ROI claims or unit economics
- 02MEDSlow unit growth of 9.9% YoY with only 101 units suggests limited brand traction or market saturation concerns
- 03MEDHigh royalty rate of 8% combined with undisclosed profitability makes break-even analysis impossible for prospective franchisees
- 04MINORShort 3-year term creates uncertainty in business planning and may indicate franchisor confidence issues or high turnover rates
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 3 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 30 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | WI |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 21 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 8 hrs
- Training location
- 821 E Washington Ave., Madison, WI (and remotely via Zoom)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 0 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Jobber
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Jobber
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
34 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Chefs For Seniors · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Chefs For Seniors franchise?
The total investment to open a Chefs For Seniors franchise ranges from $17K – $27K, with an initial franchise fee of $10K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Chefs For Seniors franchise owners earn?
Chefs For Seniors 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 Chefs For Seniors 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 Chefs For Seniors FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Chefs For Seniors's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Chefs For Seniors (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 Chefs For Seniors franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Chefs For Seniors has 101 total units in the United States, including 100 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 18 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Chefs For Seniors a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Chefs For Seniors as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 70 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
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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.