Escape Enterprises, Inc. Franchise Cost & 2025 FDD Data
39/100
Middle tier
39 this brand51 Quick-Service Restaurants medianlikely 30–48: narrower with more SBA loans (moderate confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#2,548 of 3,069 graded brands
Why a C: Helped by financial health. Held back by unit growth, scale and transparency. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $240K – $829K
- excl. site work
- Avg gross sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- 5 resolved of 5 loans: too few to judge
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2025 FDD
Per the 2025 FDD, a Escape Enterprises, Inc. franchise requires a total initial investment of $240K – $829K, excluding site work, including a $25K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 6.0%. 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 verdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Verdict grade: C (Middle tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2025 FDD · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium (issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file)
Evidence for the headline figures: partial✓ 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Quick-Service Restaurants median
Top edge: green = better than the Quick-Service Restaurants median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSThe FDD makes no financial performance representation in Item 19, so it discloses no revenue or earnings figures; Item 19 is voluntary, and the Financial performance section explains what that does and does not mean.
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets fell by 4 (1 opened, 5 closed).
- DECLINE-5 franchised outlets between the first and last year-ends Item 20 prints (24 to 19, -20.8% in total, -11.0% a year compounded). Ask whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $69K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $107K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $427K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (4)
- Net -4 franchised outlets in the latest Item 20 year. Ask owners why outlets closed.
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
- You waive a jury trial in disputes with the franchisor (Item 17, renewal, termination and disputes).
- The franchisor receives rebates or payments from suppliers you buy from (Item 8, required suppliers).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no pending lawsuit naming the franchisor, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file. Not on file here, so ask: SBA charge-off rate against the category median.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is near the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($487K).
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Escape Enterprises, Ltd. (Item 1: 1099 Sullivant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43223) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25K | $25K | |
| Initial Training Expenses | $2K | $4K | |
| Initial Inventory of Food, Paper Products and Misc. Supplies | $5K | $10K | |
| Space Lease (Security Deposit and First Three Months’ Rent) | $6K | $24K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $75K | $475K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $77K | $140K | |
| Signs and Graphics | $7K | $37K | |
| POS System | $3.5K | $15K | |
| Lease Negotiation Legal Expenses | $2K | $10K | |
| Architectural Services | $8K | $35K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $7.5K | |
| Uniforms | $1K | $2K | |
| Pre-Opening Advertising | $4K | $10K | |
| Utility Deposits, Business Licenses, and Prepaid Expenses | $2K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds – Three Months | $20K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $240K | $829K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fundBrand-wide marketing pool. Marketing Fund: Currently 0.5% of Gross Sales for Mall locations (up to 2%) and 1.5% of Gross Sales for Non-Mall locations (up to 3%) | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology feesPOS-related software/service fees estimated $100-$200 per month | See the list |
| Transfer fee | $10,000 |
| Renewal fee | $12,500 |
| Total fee loadnear the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.0% | 6.5% of sales |
What do units actually make?
This FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation - a voluntary item - so unit sales aren't disclosed.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Escape Enterprises, Inc. unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $534K Item 7 midpoint is a $427K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $69K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $107K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $534K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $427K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
Escape Enterprises, Inc. makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no gross sales figures are disclosed. The return models need one gross sales figure to start from, plus the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions; nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Escape Enterprises, Inc. unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Not disclosed in Item 19. Enter your own gross sales assumption
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
No Item 19 figures are on file for this brand. Enter your own costs from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $240K to $829K
Item 7's $20K to $30K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies annual revenue, COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $427K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
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: 2025 FDD · filed by Escape Enterprises, Ltd.
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 verdict 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.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Escape Enterprises, Inc. compares
Category median of published Quick-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.
Who are you contracting with?
Escape Enterprises, Ltd., owned by Escape Enterprises, Inc. (EEI).
Same franchisor, other program: Steak Escape Sandwich Grill. Each is a separate offering with its own page.
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Escape Enterprises, Ltd.
- Parent company
- Escape Enterprises, Inc. (EEI)
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Escape Enterprises, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- Director, Chairman and Treasurer
- Kennard Miller Smith
- Incorporated in
- Ohio
- HQ
- 1099 Sullivant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43223
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.1M
- latest fiscal year in the 2025 FDD; $1.0M the year before
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 11
1 other brand on this site names Escape Enterprises, Inc. as parent or ultimate parent in its own FDD.
- Steak Escape Sandwich Grill (grade C)
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
Retail food outlet operating under the trade name STEAK ESCAPE SANDWICH GRILL, specializing in specialty sandwiches, specialty salads, specialty potatoes, fresh-cut french fries, and fresh made lemonade.
- CEO
- Kennard Miller Smith
Is the system healthy?
-5 franchised outlets between the first and last year-ends Item 20 prints (24 to 19, -20.8% in total, -11.0% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 83%
- vs corporate-owned
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units fell from 24 in 2022 to 19 in 2024
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Government records
SBA loan data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Loans on file
- 5
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $912K
- Average loan
- $182K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- 5 resolved of 5 loans: too few to judge
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 5 loans, rate hidden below 10
- Paid in full
- 5 resolved of 5 loans: too few to judge
- Recent-loan charge-off
- 5 resolved of 5 loans: too few to judge
- Lenders
- 5
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What are the risks?
Main risk: a shrinking system. Franchised outlets fell from 24 to 19 over the two Item 20 years.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade C: Middle tier, 39/100 (category median 51); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a C, factor by factor
- Financial health HelpsAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive
- Unit economics NeutralNo Item 19 sales figure to set against the investment, so neutral
- Unit growth Weighs on it, weakest dimension-5 franchised outlets between the first and last year-ends Item 20 prints (24 to 19, -20.8% in total, -11.0% a year compounded); turnover 21.7%
- Scale Weighs on it19 franchised units, +4 company-owned (23 in all); franchising since 1996
- Legal Neutral1 matter naming the franchisor among the Item 3 matters we list (4.3 per 100 outlets)
- Transparency Weighs on itItem 19 declines to disclose financial performance; audited financials
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
Suit to collect royalty payments: Escape Enterprises, Ltd. v. SESHMS Inc., et al., Case No. 22CV001626, Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County, Ohio (2022).
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
Ask what the franchisor earns on the supplies it sells you or the rebates it takes (Item 8).
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Franchisor takes supplier rebates: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Litigation case detail1 matter · Item 3
Litigation cases
The franchisor
Status not stated in the filing (1)
Escape Enterprises, Ltd. v. SESHMS Inc., et al.
Brought against a franchisee · filed 2022 · Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County, Ohio · 22CV001626
“… 22CV001626 (Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County, Ohio; 2022) No other litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.”Page 13 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Protected territory | No |
|---|---|
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Reserved by franchisor |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | A manager may run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 3 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination grounds | 15 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Franklin County, Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
Items 5 (initial fees), 7 (startup costs), 12 (territory) and 20 (outlet counts) · development agreement
Area development (several units)
The filing offers a development agreement for several units. If you miss the schedule, the development agreement can be ended.
Every term, with its page
- If you miss the schedule
- The development agreement can be ended.
2025 FDD p.28
“If you fail to meet your obligations under a Development Agreement, including your failure to open the minimum number of restaurants required on schedule or to continue operating the minimum number of restaurants required, we may terminate the Development Agreement, keep any remaining portion of the development fee paid, restrict you from opening additional restaurants, and revoke your exclusivity”
Each unit still needs its own Item 7 investment on top of the development fee. Have a franchise attorney read the schedule and the default terms before you sign.
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 70 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 142 hrs
- Training location
- Escape's headquarters plus training store in Columbus, Ohio; Phase 2 at Franchisee's Restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2–6 mo
- From signing to launch (FDD p.27)
- Site selection
- joint - franchisee proposes site, Escape must approve/agree on location
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Franchisee contacts
We hold no owner list for this brand. Item 20 of the FDD lists the current and former owners; the free FDD is the source.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Escape Enterprises, Inc. franchise?
Per the 2025 FDD, the total investment to open a Escape Enterprises, Inc. franchise ranges from $240K to $829K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. The filing says these totals do not include site work.
What do Escape Enterprises, Inc. franchise owners earn?
Escape Enterprises, Inc. makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no gross sales 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 verdict 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 Escape Enterprises, Inc.?
Escape Enterprises, Inc. is franchised by Escape Enterprises, Ltd. Its parent company is Escape Enterprises, Inc. (EEI). The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Escape Enterprises, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Escape Enterprises, Inc. 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. The Escape Enterprises, Inc. FDD does not make an Item 19 financial performance representation, so this page shows no earnings figure.
What is Escape Enterprises, Inc.'s franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate, and Escape Enterprises, Inc. has too few resolved SBA 7(a) loans on file (fewer than 10) to show an SBA charge-off rate that would mean anything. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. Review the turnover and closure figures in Item 20 of the FDD and speak with current and former franchisees.
How many Escape Enterprises, Inc. franchise locations are there?
Per the 2025 FDD, Escape Enterprises, Inc. has 19 franchised units and 4 company-owned (23 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets fell by 4 (1 opened, 5 closed).
Is Escape Enterprises, Inc. a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Escape Enterprises, Inc. a C Verdict grade (Middle tier) with a verdict score of 39 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by financial health. Held back by unit growth (-5 franchised outlets between the first and last year-ends Item 20 prints: 24 to 19, -20.8% in total, -11.0% a year compounded), scale and transparency. The “Why a C” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.