Clean Eatz Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $354K – $798K
- Disclosed sales
- $1.1M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 23.1%
- on 69 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Clean Eatz is a fast-casual franchise serving healthy, macro-friendly meals plus grab-and-go meal-prep programs. Franchisees run a cafe-and-kitchen managing meal production, dine-in, and weekly meal-plan subscriptions.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Clean Eatz franchise requires a total initial investment of $354K – $798K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 23.1% charge-off rate across 69 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2025 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - a newer filing may exist
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $354K – $798K
- 58th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 20th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 109
- 77th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 23.1%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants median · 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 $354K – $798K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.1M/year (median $971K), with an estimated 12% cash-on-cash return (based on EBTIDA (less owner/manager salary) [sic - the filing misspells EBITDA]).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 56/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 23.1% across 69 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +10 franchised outlets in the latest year (21 opened, 8 closed); 71 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 44.8% CAGR over 3 years with 109 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Clean Eatz Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- V&V Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- CEO, Co-Founder, Member
- Don Varady
- Incorporated in
- NC
- HQ
- 4389 Oleander Drive, Wilmington NC, 28403
- Auditor
- Earney & Company, L.L.P.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $7.9M
- vs $6.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Don Varady
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 20
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 19% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses | $500 | $2K | |
| Rent or Real Estate | $3K | $18K | |
| Cafe Construction | $200K | $483K | |
| Furniture | $0 | $5K | |
| Signage | $5K | $12K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $4K | $10K | |
| Initial Inventory | $10K | $12K | |
| Equipment | $49K | $144K | |
| Advertising/Marketing (3 months) | $2K | $7K | |
| Insurance (Yearly basis) | $3K | $5K | |
| Technology Package | $9K | $11K | |
| Additional Funds for Initial three (3) Months | $20K | $40K | |
| Total initial investment | $354K | $798K |
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
- $354K – $798K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 8.5 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $2K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $12K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 8% above the quick-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Clean Eatz until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$606K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings
The FDD reports $123K as EBTIDA (less owner/manager salary) [sic - the filing misspells EBITDA]. This is a disclosed figure, not our estimate — we publish no modelled profit for Clean Eatz.
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Clean Eatz unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $971K
- Avg ebtida (less owner/manager salary) [sic - the filing misspells ebitda]
- $123K
- Reported as EBTIDA (less owner/manager salary) [sic - the filing misspells EBITDA] in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 11.7%
- Based on EBTIDA (less owner/manager salary) [sic - the filing misspells EBITDA] / investment midpoint
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and income statement
- Sample size
- 84 outlets
- vs category median 19 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $358K→$2.2MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 45 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $585K→$1.6M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 781 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.1M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.8x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 10/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 44.8% CAGR over 3 years across 109 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 Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Clean Eatz Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 109
- Opened
- 21
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 8
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 8.2%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +44.8%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +44.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 2
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 71
- 0.65 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 25
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 20 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.
20
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.
- Total loans
- 69
- Loan volume
- $28.4M
- Median loan
- $437K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 23.1%
- on 69 loans · rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 76.9%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 28.6%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 33
- Defaults
- 3
- Typical loan rate
- 8.4%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 10.8%
- brand above franchise avg ↑
- Jobs supported
- 1,147
- 4.0 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 20%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 93% went to startups / new businesses, 7% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in limited-service restaurants, franchised businesses charge off at 10.8% vs 10.0% for independents — franchising is associated with 8% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Clean Eatz franchisees
Showing 3 of 33 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Clean Eatz from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 1.4%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 73%
- Avg interest rate
- 8.45%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $131K
- Lender concentration
- 20.3%
- Job velocity
- 4.0 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 8.7%
- NAICS 722513
- Jobs supported
- 1,147
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 20% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 14 | $3.9M | 66.7% |
| 2 | United Community Bank | 9 | $4.3M | 0.0% |
| 3 | PNC Bank, National Association | 4 | $1.3M | 0.0% |
| 4 | Patriot Bank, National Association | 3 | $649K | 0.0% |
| 5 | Stearns Bank National Association | 3 | $308K | 0.0% |
| 6 | Cadence Bank | 3 | $1.1M | N/A |
| 7 | Riverside Bank of Dublin | 3 | $1.2M | N/A |
| 8 | First National Bank of Pennsylvania | 3 | $1.6M | 0.0% |
| 9 | CRF Small Business Loan Company, LLC | 2 | $757K | N/A |
| 10 | Peoples Bank | 2 | $541K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLFlorida | 8 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NCNorth Carolina | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| ILIllinois | 5 | 2 | 66.7% |
| OHOhio | 5 | 0 | -- |
| SCSouth Carolina | 5 | 1 | 33.3% |
| VAVirginia | 4 | 0 | -- |
| COColorado | 3 | 0 | -- |
| INIndiana | 3 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
A 23.1% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 4 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 23.1% — 44% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Clean Eatz presents moderate-to-cautious risk: unverified revenue claims, modest growth trajectory, and tight margins require thorough validation with existing franchisees before committing $350K–$800K.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Earney & Company, L.L.P.
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
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORModest unit growth of 12.8% YoY suggests market saturation or slower-than-expected expansion momentum
- 02MINORHigh investment range ($353K–$798K) with 6% royalty creates breakeven pressure on units generating below $1.09M
- 03MEDNet income margin of ~14% ($153K on $1.09M) leaves limited cushion for underperforming locations or economic downturns
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 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | New Hanover County, North Carolina |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NC |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 36 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 77 hrs
- Training location
- Regional Training Store (corporate headquarters Wilmington, NC or designated franchise)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Brink POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Brink POS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
95 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Clean Eatz franchise?
The total investment to open a Clean Eatz franchise ranges from $354K – $798K, 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 Clean Eatz franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Clean Eatz FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. The median is $971K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Clean Eatz?
Clean Eatz is franchised by Clean Eatz Franchising LLC. Its parent company is V&V Holdings, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Clean Eatz 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 Clean Eatz FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Clean Eatz's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Clean Eatz has a charge-off rate of 23.1% across 69 loans, meaning 23.1% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Clean Eatz franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Clean Eatz has 109 total units in the United States, including 107 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 21 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Clean Eatz a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Clean Eatz as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 56 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Clean Eatz, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Quick-Service Restaurants category
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.