Country Kitchen Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $565K – $1.7M
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- 15.8%
- on 67 loans
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]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. 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 →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2024 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - figures are from a filing two or more years old
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 scored4 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $565K – $1.7M
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd 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 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 $565K – $1.7M including a $40K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- 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).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (1 opened, 1 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 runs 65% above the typical 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 by sales volume · 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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Country Kitchen 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 annual revenue, 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.
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
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 median of 7.0%.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 medians
How Country Kitchen Compares
Category median of published Full-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 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
20 current owners across 9 states.
- CA 4
- WI 4
- MN 3
- MO 3
- IA 2
- CO 1
- NE 1
- OH 1
- OR 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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%
- on 67 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)
- 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Country Kitchen from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 16.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 73%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.06%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $341K
- Lender concentration
- 15.4%
- Job velocity
- 2.1 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 24.7%
- NAICS 722110
- Jobs supported
- 359
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 15% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 6 | $3.6M | 0.0% |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 4 | $887K | 50.0% |
| 3 | Old National Bank | 2 | $634K | 0.0% |
| 4 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 2 | $959K | 0.0% |
| 5 | First Interstate Bank | 2 | $758K | 0.0% |
| 6 | BMO Bank National Association | 2 | $760K | 0.0% |
| 7 | First National Bank Minnesota | 2 | $1.1M | 50.0% |
| 8 | Business Loan Center, LLC | 1 | $560K | 0.0% |
| 9 | PNC Bank, National Association | 1 | $235K | 0.0% |
| 10 | First National Bank | 1 | $324K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNMinnesota | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| OHOhio | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| IAIowa | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| WIWisconsin | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| AZArizona | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MOMissouri | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| MTMontana | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NENebraska | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| SDSouth Dakota | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| COColorado | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
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)
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.
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
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk; franchisees can cannibalize each other's revenue
- 04MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory — no clarity on system expansion, stability, or franchisee success rates
- 05MINORWide investment range ($415k-$1.67M, 304% spread) suggests inconsistent unit economics or poor cost controls
- 06MED4-5% 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 territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| 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
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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Country Kitchen?
Country Kitchen is franchised by Legacy Franchise Group, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
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). 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
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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.