Escape Hunt Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Escape Hunt is a recreation franchise operating themed escape rooms where groups solve puzzles to escape within a time limit. Franchisees run the venues, managing game rooms, bookings, staffing, and events.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Escape Hunt franchise requires a total initial investment of $356K – $663K, including a $40K franchise fee. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $356K – $663K
- 28th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subsetn=1
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 2
- 8th pct Recreation & …
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Recreation & Entertainment 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 $356K – $663K including a $40K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAudited statement of operations for year ended December 31, 2021; total net sales of $26,871 comprises royalty fees $26,454 and franchise fees $417. Prior period (inception Nov 18, 2020 to Dec 31, 2020) net sales were $0. Interest income of $8,694 reported separately as nonoperating income.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 36/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports per booking metrics rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Escape Hunt USA Franchises Ltd.
- Parent company
- XP Factory plc
- CEO title
- Director and Chief Executive Officer
- Richard Harpham
- Incorporated in
- United Kingdom
- HQ
- Belmont House, Station Way, Crawley RH10 1JA, United Kingdom
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $27K
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Richard Harpham
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 62% below the typical recreation & entertainment franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $286K | $573K |
| Total initial investment | $356K | $663K |
Source: Escape Hunt 2022 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
- $356K – $663K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 8% of Gross Sales and $2,000 per month
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 8% of Gross Sales and $2,000 |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Escape Hunt 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 Escape Hunt unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
19%
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: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
Audited statement of operations for year ended December 31, 2021; total net sales of $26,871 comprises royalty fees $26,454 and franchise fees $417. Prior period (inception Nov 18, 2020 to Dec 31, 2020) net sales were $0. Interest income of $8,694 reported separately as nonoperating income.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- per booking metrics
- Sample size
- 1
- vs category median 5 · small
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2022
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 166 Recreation & Entertainment brands
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 8.0% (near the Recreation & Entertainment average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports per booking metrics rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
Net unit growth roughly flat at 0.0%.
Multi-unit rate
Only 5% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Escape Hunt Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 4.5%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 50.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Escape Hunt presents elevated risk due to extreme system immaturity (2 units only), absent financial disclosures, high investment requirement, and a mature/declining industry segment with no clear competitive differentiation.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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
Score breakdown · what drove the 36 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDOnly 2 existing units suggest extremely limited system validation and unproven scalability of the escape room concept
- 02MINORMandatory $2,000/month minimum royalty (8% or $2K floor) creates cash flow pressure even during low-revenue periods
- 03MEDHigh initial investment range ($356K-$663K) with no disclosed average unit volumes increases downside risk significantly
- 04MINOREscape room industry faces secular headwinds from oversaturation and declining novelty appeal since peak 2016-2018
- 05MINORUnknown growth trajectory with only 2 units and no multi-year unit history raises questions about franchisee retention and profitability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| 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 | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | New York, New York |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- Adventure Centers operated by Area Representative in the United States (mutually agreed location)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Escape Hunt · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Escape Hunt franchise?
The total investment to open a Escape Hunt franchise ranges from $356K – $663K, 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 Escape Hunt franchise owners earn?
Escape Hunt 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 Escape Hunt 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 Escape Hunt FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Escape Hunt's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Escape Hunt (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 Escape Hunt franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Escape Hunt has 2 total units in the United States, including 2 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Escape Hunt a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Escape Hunt as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 36 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
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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.