Chuck Lager RestaurantFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Chuck Lager Restaurant franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.1M – $3.9M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.5% royalty[2]. The 2023 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 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.1M – $3.9M
- 43rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 4
- 10th 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.1M – $3.9M including a $50K franchise fee, 5.5% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 86/100.
- 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
- Chuck Lager’s Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
- Craig W. Colby
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 26 Easton Way, Hainesport, New Jersey 08036
- Auditor
- Haynie & Company
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $202K
- vs $204K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Chuck Lager Restaurant franchisees operate casual dining establishments serving lager-centric beer and food offerings. Day-to-day operations include managing restaurant staff, inventory, food preparation, customer service, and local marketing while remitting 5.5% of gross sales to the franchisor.
- CEO
- Craig W. Colby
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $50K | $100K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $955K | $3.8M |
| Total initial investment | $1.1M | $3.9M |
Source: Chuck Lager Restaurant 2023 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
- $1.1M – $3.9M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
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 Chuck Lager Restaurant Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 25%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 11 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- 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
Micro-scale restaurant franchise with going concern issues, non-disclosure of profitability metrics, and extreme cost ambiguity presents material risk of franchisor failure and franchisee capital loss.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Haynie & Company
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 86 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 4 units system-wide indicates minimal scale, network support, and supply chain leverage
- 02MINORNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosure prevents ROI validation and profitability assessment
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status = FALSE suggests franchisor financial instability or operational distress
- 04MINORWide investment range ($1.05M–$3.95M) lacks transparency on what drives 276% cost variance
- 05MEDNo disclosed average net income makes it impossible to calculate payback period or break-even timeline
- 06MINORMicro-franchise system (4 units) creates high risk of system collapse if even one unit fails
- 07MEDUnknown unit growth trajectory signals either stagnation or undisclosed closures
- 08MINOR15-year term locks franchisee into relationship with unstable franchisor for extended period
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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 15 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| 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 | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 1 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 429 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
12 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Chuck Lager Restaurant · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Chuck Lager Restaurant franchise?
The total investment to open a Chuck Lager Restaurant franchise ranges from $1.1M – $3.9M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Chuck Lager Restaurant franchise owners earn?
Chuck Lager Restaurant 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 Chuck Lager Restaurant's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Chuck Lager Restaurant (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 Chuck Lager Restaurant franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Chuck Lager Restaurant has 4 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 3 company-owned units.
Is Chuck Lager Restaurant a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Chuck Lager Restaurant as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 86 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.