Chopt Creative Salad Company®Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® franchise requires a total initial investment of $870K – $1.6M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.0M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $870K – $1.6M
- 41st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.0M
- 21st pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 94
- 41st 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
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $870K – $1.6M including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.0M/year (median $1.8M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 21/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Chopt Creative Salad Company Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Founders Table Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Founders Table Restaurant Group, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Nicholas Marsh
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 800 Westchester Avenue, Suite N-321, Rye Brook, New York 10573
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
Overview
About
Franchisees operate fast-casual salad restaurants where customers build custom salads and bowls from fresh ingredients. Daily operations include food prep, inventory management, customer service, and staffing 8-12 employees. The model targets health-conscious consumers seeking customizable, premium ingredients.
- CEO
- Nicholas Marsh
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $820K | $1.5M |
| Total initial investment | $870K | $1.6M |
Source: CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$217K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
17%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $870K – $1.6M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.0M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.8M
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 87 units
- vs category median 13 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $817K→$4.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Chopt Creative Salad Company® Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 94
- Opened
- 1
- 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
- 93
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 13.6%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 13
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 23
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- 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
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Undisclosed profitability metrics, parent company going concern issues, active litigation history, and stagnant unit growth create significant due diligence gaps and financial transparency concerns.
Litigation (Item 3)
Prescott v. Dos Toros LLC et al. (U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:22-cv-02425-RA, filed April 6, 2022). Putative class action alleging deceptive marketing of pork and chicken products regarding humane raising claims. Alleged violations of NY General Business Law and consumer protection statutes in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York. Claims included deceptive practices, false advertising, and sought class certification, injunctive relief, actual/statutory/punitive damages, and attorneys' fees. Settled February 21, 2023 via confidential settlement agreement with defendants denying all claims and liability.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 21 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates parent company financial distress or accounting irregularities
- 02MEDNet Income not disclosed in Item 19 — prevents accurate ROI analysis and profitability verification
- 03HIGHDeceptive marketing litigation (2022-2023) with confidential settlement — reputational risk and undisclosed terms
- 04MINORUnit count stagnant at 94 with unknown growth trajectory — suggests market saturation or underperformance
- 05MINORHigh investment ceiling ($1.58M) with only $40K franchise fee — indicates capital-intensive operations with unclear returns
- 06MED5% royalty on gross sales (not net) — ongoing fees reduce already-undisclosed margins
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Drive-time |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | New York City, New York |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Prescott v. Dos Toros LLC et al. (U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:22-cv-02425-RA, filed April 6, 2022). Putative class action alleging deceptive marketing of pork and chicken products regarding humane raising claims. Alleged violations of NY General Business Law and consumer protection statutes in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York. Claims included deceptive practices, false advertising, and sought class certification, injunctive relief, actual/statutory/punitive damages, and attorneys' fees. Settled February 21, 2023 via confidential settlement agreement with defendants denying all claims and liability.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 250 hrs
- Training location
- Off-site and on-site
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Toast POS system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast POS system
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
7 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® franchise?
The total investment to open a CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® franchise ranges from $870K – $1.6M, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.0M. The median is $1.8M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY®'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® (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 CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® has 94 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 93 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD COMPANY® as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 21 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.