City Brew ToursFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A City Brew Tours franchise requires a total initial investment of $76K – $100K, including a $38K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $160K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $76K – $100K
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $160K
- 0th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 16
- 25th 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
Franchised units fell from 4 to 1 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $76K – $100K including a $38K franchise fee, 5.5% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $160K/year (median $133K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 44/100.
- No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- CBT Ventures, LLC
- Parent company
- CBT Group, LLC
- CEO title
- President and Director
- Chad Brodsky
- CEO experience
- 2019 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- MA
- HQ
- 675 VFW Parkway, Suite 257, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
- Auditor
- Sundack CPA LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $40K
- vs $65K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate guided brewery and craft beverage tasting tours in their territory, typically managing group bookings, coordinating logistics with local breweries, and leading educational tours. Day-to-day work involves marketing/sales acquisition, tour operations, customer service, and managing independent contractor guides or staff.
- CEO
- Chad Brodsky
- Headquarters
- MA
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 3
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $38K | $38K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $10K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $28K | $52K |
| Total initial investment | $76K | $100K |
Source: City Brew Tours 2023 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
$18K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
18%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.6 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $76K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $10K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $38K – $38K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $19K |
| Renewal fee | $19K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $160K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $133K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 13 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $50K→$525K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How City Brew Tours Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 16
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.3%
- Company-owned
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 25%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 8
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 6.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 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
- $165K
- Median loan
- $83K
- 50th percentile
- 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
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into City Brew Tours's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 2 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
City Brew Tours presents meaningful risk due to undisclosed profitability, stagnant unit growth, unprotected territory, and high capital requirements relative to revenue visibility.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Sundack CPA 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 44 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo net income disclosure despite $159,725 average revenue — profitability opaque and concerning
- 02MINOROnly 16 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests stagnation or contraction in system
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other franchisees in same market
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($76,200-$99,500) relative to disclosed revenue with no income guarantee
- 05MINOR7-year term is relatively short; rebuilding customer base difficult if territory unprotected
- 06MINORRoyalty range of 5.5-8.5% varies widely, indicating unclear fee structure or tiered performance
- 07HIGHNo disclosed litigation history is unusual and may indicate incomplete disclosure
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 | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 7 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1.5 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Massachusetts |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 26 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 54 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Bookeo
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Bookeo
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
17 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
City Brew Tours · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a City Brew Tours franchise?
The total investment to open a City Brew Tours franchise ranges from $76K – $100K, with an initial franchise fee of $38K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do City Brew Tours franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the City Brew Tours FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $160K. The median is $133K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is City Brew Tours's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for City Brew Tours (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 City Brew Tours franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, City Brew Tours has 16 total units in the United States, including 4 franchised units and 12 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is City Brew Tours a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates City Brew Tours as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 44 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.