Country Kitchen Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Country Kitchen is a family restaurant franchise serving all-day breakfast and comfort food in a homestyle setting. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing the kitchen, table service, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Country Kitchen franchise requires a total initial investment of $565K – $1.7M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 15.8% charge-off rate across 67 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $565K – $1.7M
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 20
- 19th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 15.8%
- % 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
- COSTTotal investment $565K – $1.7M including a $40K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFY ended August 31, 2024. Total revenue of $1,309,184 comprises initial franchise fee income ($40,000), franchise (royalty) fee income ($845,486), advertising fee income ($233,413), vendor rebate income ($161,122), and convention fee income ($29,163). Other income ($46,096) and employee retention credit are reported separately below operating income, not in total revenue. 2023 and 2022 statements were audited by other (prior) auditors.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 45/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 15.8% across 67 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Legacy Franchise Group, LLC
- Predecessor
- Kitchen Investment Group, Inc. (KIGI); Country Kitchen Franchise Marketing Group, LLC (CKFMG)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Charles Mocco
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TN
- HQ
- 6405 Century Avenue, Ste. 001, Middleton, Wisconsin 53562
- Auditor
- Wegner CPAs, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.3M
- vs $1.3M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Charles Mocco
- Headquarters
- WI
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 11
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about average for a full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $75K | $195K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $450K | $1.4M |
| Total initial investment | $565K | $1.7M |
Source: Country Kitchen 2024 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
- $565K – $1.7M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $75K – $195K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $6K |
| Training fee | $50K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $75K – $150K |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Country Kitchen 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 Country Kitchen unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
8%
Below 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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
FY ended August 31, 2024. Total revenue of $1,309,184 comprises initial franchise fee income ($40,000), franchise (royalty) fee income ($845,486), advertising fee income ($233,413), vendor rebate income ($161,122), and convention fee income ($29,163). Other income ($46,096) and employee retention credit are reported separately below operating income, not in total revenue. 2023 and 2022 statements were audited by other (prior) auditors.
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 5.0% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -25.9% 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 Country Kitchen Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 20
- 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
- 5.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -25.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -25.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 5.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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.
- Total loans
- 67
- Loan volume
- $27.9M
- Median loan
- $368K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 15.8%
- 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)
- 84.2%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 30
- Defaults
- 9
- Typical loan rate
- 6.1%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 21.6%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 359
- 2.1 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 15%
- top lender's share
Franchise vs independent — in full-service restaurants, franchised businesses charge off at 21.6% vs 22.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 4% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Country Kitchen charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Country Kitchen franchisees
Showing 3 of 30 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 Country Kitchen'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
- 17-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans here charge off near the 16.0% national average.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Country Kitchen presents high-risk franchise investment due to lack of financial transparency, tiny system size, no territory protection, and undisclosed going concern status — suitable only for investors willing to pioneer an unproven model with limited franchisor support.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Wegner CPAs, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 45 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosed — impossible to assess ROI or validate $415k-$1.67M investment viability
- 02MEDOnly 20 units system-wide indicates minimal scale, limited support infrastructure, and high systemic failure risk
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests the franchisor itself may face financial or operational viability issues
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk; franchisees can cannibalize each other's revenue
- 05MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory — no clarity on system expansion, stability, or franchisee success rates
- 06MINORWide investment range ($415k-$1.67M, 304% spread) suggests inconsistent unit economics or poor cost controls
- 07MED4-5% royalty on undisclosed revenues means franchisees cannot validate whether royalty burden is sustainable
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 5.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 40,000 |
| 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 | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | WI |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 90 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 390 hrs
- Training location
- Certified Training Country Kitchen locations and Corporate Office (Middleton, Wisconsin)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee (with franchisor approval required)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast POS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
20 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Country Kitchen · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Country Kitchen franchise?
The total investment to open a Country Kitchen franchise ranges from $565K – $1.7M, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Country Kitchen franchise owners earn?
Country Kitchen 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 Country Kitchen 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 Country Kitchen FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Country Kitchen's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Country Kitchen has a charge-off rate of 15.8% across 67 loans, meaning 15.8% 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 Country Kitchen franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Country Kitchen has 20 total units in the United States, including 20 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Country Kitchen a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Country Kitchen as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 45 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 Country Kitchen, 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.