Costa Vida Management Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Costa Vida Management franchise requires a total initial investment of $675K – $1.3M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the latest FDD, average unit revenue was $2.2M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 7.1% charge-off rate across 17 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified
Overview
- Investment
- $675K – $1.3M
- 41st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.2M
- 23rd pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 93
- 42nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 7.1%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-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
- Total investment $675K – $1.3M including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.2M/year (median $2.0M).
- Verdict B (Above average), verdict score 54/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 7.1% across 17 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- System contracting at -16.1% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Costa Vida Management, LLC
- Parent company
- CV Holdings, LC
- Predecessor
- Costa Vida Management, Inc. / Costa Vida Holdings, LLC / CVM, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Co-President and Co-Chief Executive Officer
- Sean Collins / Dave Rutter
- Incorporated in
- Utah
- HQ
- 1333 S. Valley Grove Way, Suite 500, Pleasant Grove, UT 84042
Overview
About
Fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchise (Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill) selling burritos, salads, enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, tropical beverages and desserts
- CEO
- Sean Collins / Dave Rutter
- Headquarters
- Utah
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about average for a full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $50K | $100K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $595K | $1.2M |
| Total initial investment | $675K | $1.3M |
Source: Costa Vida Management 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
- $675K – $1.3M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 41% above the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD · Item 19
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
$216K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
20%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.0M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Historical - Average Unit Volume, EBITDAR, and Net Sales by cohort
- Sample size
- 83 units
- vs category median 16 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $763K→$4.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
Compared against 1273 Full-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 $2.2M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.1x.
Fee burden
6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund.
Operator retention
System contracting at -16.1% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Costa Vida Management Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 93
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Turnover rate
- 4.3%
- Company-owned
- 46
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -16.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -16.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 17
- Loan volume
- $8.9M
- Median loan
- $490K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 7.1%
- 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)
- 92.9%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 9
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 6.1%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 7225
- Jobs supported
- 515
- 5.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 29%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Top lenders financing Costa Vida Management franchisees
Showing 3 of 9 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.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 7.1% — 55% 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
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
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
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 57 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 490 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor's Headquarters (Utah)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 10 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, subject to Franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Costa Vida Management franchise?
The total investment to open a Costa Vida Management franchise ranges from $675K – $1.3M, 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 Costa Vida Management franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Costa Vida Management FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.2M. The median is $2.0M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Costa Vida Management's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Costa Vida Management has a charge-off rate of 7.1% across 17 loans, meaning 7.1% 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 Costa Vida Management franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Costa Vida Management has 93 total units in the United States, including 47 franchised units and 46 company-owned units.
Is Costa Vida Management a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Costa Vida Management as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 54 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?
If you represent Costa Vida Management, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.