Comic Book CaféFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Comic Book Café franchise requires a total initial investment of $433K – $936K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $3.2M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $433K – $936K
- 29th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 2nd 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
Each dollar invested generates 4.7x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Bottom line
- Total investment $433K – $936K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $3.2M/year.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100.
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Comic Book Pizza Company, LLC
- Incorporated in
- NY
- HQ
- 1771 Love Rd #1, Grand Island, NY 14072
- Auditor
- Muhammad Zubairy, CPA PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
Comic Book Café franchisees operate a specialty retail and café hybrid concept, selling comic books, graphic novels, merchandise, and branded beverages to an enthusiast customer base. Day-to-day operations include inventory management of niche comic products, café service (food/beverage preparation), customer engagement with collector communities, hosting events (comic releases, tournaments, author signings), and point-of-sale management.
- CEO
- Kevin Slachciak
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $40K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $358K | $841K |
| Total initial investment | $433K | $936K |
Source: Comic Book Café 2024 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
$388K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
53%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
23 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $433K – $936K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $40K – $60K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $5 |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Company-Owned Outlet Sales
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 13 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $3.2M→$3.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 3 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is 4.7x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Comic Book Café Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 24 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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Comic Book Café presents HIGH RISK due to a collapsing franchise system (1 unit, unknown growth), going concern status, withheld net income data, and an unusually high investment range with no financial performance disclosure to justify returns.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Muhammad Zubairy, CPA PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates franchisor financial distress or viability questions
- 02MINOROnly 1 unit in system with unknown growth trajectory — suggests failed expansion or brand collapse
- 03MEDNet income not disclosed — inability or unwillingness to provide profitability data is a major transparency red flag
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($432.5K–$936K) with no Item 19 financial performance data to justify ROI
- 05MED5% royalty on disclosed $3.2M average revenue = $160K annual royalties from single unit — unsustainably top-heavy structure
- 06HIGHNo litigation disclosed but going concern status suggests underlying operational or legal vulnerabilities
- 07MINORMassive gap between low and high investment estimates (117% variance) indicates undefined startup costs
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 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 6 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 64 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and franchisor location
- POS system
- Toast POS system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast POS system
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
25 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Comic Book Café · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Comic Book Café franchise?
The total investment to open a Comic Book Café franchise ranges from $433K – $936K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Comic Book Café franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Comic Book Café FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Comic Book Café's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Comic Book Café (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 Comic Book Café franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Comic Book Café has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Comic Book Café a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Comic Book Café as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 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.