Clean Juice Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Clean Juice is an organic juice bar franchise serving cold-pressed juices, smoothies, acai bowls, and cleanses. Franchisees run the shops, managing fresh prep, inventory, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A CLEAN JUICE franchise requires a total initial investment of $241K – $418K, including a $15K – $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 14.3% charge-off rate across 88 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $241K – $418K
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subset
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 55
- 67th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 14.3%
- % 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 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 $241K – $418K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 figures reflect unaudited Gross Revenue (sales) information only, reported by franchisees and not independently verified; they exclude costs and expenses, so no inference about profitability can be drawn.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 49/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 14.3% across 88 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DATAItem 19 reports quartile sales 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
- CJ Fresh Holdings FC, LLC
- Parent company
- CJ Fresh Holdings, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Legacy Brands International, LLC
- Predecessor
- Clean Juice Holdings, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Sherif Mityas
- Incorporated in
- Texas
- HQ
- 14860 Montfort Drive, Suite 150 PMB 34, Dallas, Texas 75254
- Auditor
- AG LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.7M
- vs $1.2M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Souper Salad FC
- Humble Ds FC
- Orange Leaf FC
- Smoothie Holdings FC
- Red Mango FC
- CJ Fresh Distribution
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Sherif Mityas
- Headquarters
- Texas
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 17
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 50% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown28 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Traditional Store)not refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Lease Deposits & Rent (Traditional Store) | $4K | $9K | |
| Architect; Engineer; Drawings (Traditional Store) | $8K | $15K | |
| Permits (Traditional Store) | $2K | $3K | |
| Interior Improvements, General Contractor; Electrical; Millwork; Tile, Plumbing, HVAC (Traditional Store) | $108K | $180K | |
| Signage Package (Traditional Store) | $8K | $12K | |
| Smallwares; Furniture; Interior Graphics; Fixtures; Digital Menu Boards; Equipment (Traditional Store) | $53K | $110K | |
| POS System (Traditional Store) | $5K | $6K | |
| Inventory; Uniforms (Traditional Store) | $4K | $10K | |
| Pre-opening training expenses (Traditional Store) | $3K | $7K | |
| New Store Marketing Plan Fee (Traditional Store) | $5K | $5K | |
| Insurance - Liability & Workers Compensation (initial deposit) (Traditional Store) | $3K | $7K | |
| Professional Fees (Traditional Store) | $2K | $6K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (Traditional Store) | $10K | $20K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Non-Traditional Store)not refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Lease Deposits & Rent (Non-Traditional Store) | $4K | $9K | |
| Architect; Engineer; Drawings (Non-Traditional Store) | $8K | $15K | |
| Permits (Non-Traditional Store) | $2K | $3K | |
| Interior Improvements, General Contractor; Electrical; Millwork; Tile, Plumbing, HVAC (Non-Traditional Store) | $70K | $110K | |
| Signage Package (Non-Traditional Store) | $3K | $6K | |
| Total initial investment | $420K | $731K |
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
- $241K – $418K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
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 | $2K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $4K – $10K |
| 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
CLEAN JUICE 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 CLEAN JUICE unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
31%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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
Item 19 figures reflect unaudited Gross Revenue (sales) information only, reported by franchisees and not independently verified; they exclude costs and expenses, so no inference about profitability can be drawn.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Item 19 type
- quartile sales
- Sample size
- 54
- vs category median 20 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $179K→$724K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $254K→$506K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- 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 782 Quick-Service Restaurants 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 Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports quartile sales rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 averages
How Clean Juice Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 55
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 15
- 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
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 15.2%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 16.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Virginia
- Washington
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 88
- Loan volume
- $26.0M
- Median loan
- $317K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 14.3%
- 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)
- 85.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 15.2%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 34
- Defaults
- 7
- Typical loan rate
- 7.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 10.6%
- brand above franchise avg ↑
- Jobs supported
- 1,747
- 7.7 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 19%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 94% went to startups / new businesses, 6% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, franchised businesses charge off at 10.6% vs 8.9% for independents — franchising is associated with 19% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Clean Juice charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Clean Juice franchisees
Showing 3 of 34 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.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Clean Juice's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 7-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 14.3% — 11% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower 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 Juice presents HIGH RISK due to SEC-sanctioned leadership, pending fraud allegations regarding financial disclosures, stagnant unit count, absent financial performance data, and going concern status—indicative of systemic credibility and operational problems.
Litigation (Item 3)
Item 3 discloses four concluded/pending matters: two franchisee mediation/termination disputes (A3 Management, Inc.; DMW Whole Organics, LLC); an SEC enforcement action against CEO Sherif Mityas individually (2012, unrelated to franchise operations); and a former franchisee lawsuit (CHNC I, LLC v. Clean Juice Franchising, LLC et al.) alleging FDD disclosure deficiencies, dismissed with prejudice against CJ Fresh Holdings, LLC in April 2025.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · AG 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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 49 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORCEO has 2012 SEC final judgment for securities law violations—indicates potential pattern of misrepresentation at corporate level
- 02HIGHPending litigation (CHNC I, LLC) specifically alleges inaccurate financial representations and failure to update FDD disclosures—core franchisor duty violation
- 03MINORMultiple settled termination disputes indicate franchisor-franchisee relationship problems and potential operational or support deficiencies
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($176.5K–$419K) combined with 6% royalty on undisclosed revenue creates profitability uncertainty
- 05HIGHGoing concern status raises questions about franchisor's financial stability and ability to support franchisees long-term
- 06MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed despite 69 units operating—suggests either poor performance or deliberate withholding of Item 19 data
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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 1 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 28 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Dallas, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 4 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 discloses four concluded/pending matters: two franchisee mediation/termination disputes (A3 Management, Inc.; DMW Whole Organics, LLC); an SEC enforcement action against CEO Sherif Mityas individually (2012, unrelated to franchise operations); and a former franchisee lawsuit (CHNC I, LLC v. Clean Juice Franchising, LLC et al.) alleging FDD disclosure deficiencies, dismissed with prejudice against CJ Fresh Holdings, LLC in April 2025.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 21 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 42 hrs
- Training location
- Corporate office and designated certified training Store, Dallas, Texas
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 10 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee_with_franchisor_approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast POS (with Lunchbox loyalty/online-ordering platform)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast POS (with Lunchbox loyalty/online-ordering platform)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
84 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
CLEAN JUICE · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a CLEAN JUICE franchise?
The total investment to open a CLEAN JUICE franchise ranges from $241K – $418K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do CLEAN JUICE franchise owners earn?
CLEAN JUICE 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 CLEAN JUICE 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 JUICE FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is CLEAN JUICE's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, CLEAN JUICE has a charge-off rate of 14.3% across 88 loans, meaning 14.3% 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 JUICE franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, CLEAN JUICE has 55 total units in the United States, including 55 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is CLEAN JUICE a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates CLEAN JUICE as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 49 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.