EscapologyFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Escapology franchise requires a total initial investment of $627K – $2.3M, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $708K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 32 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $627K – $2.3M
- 31st pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- $708K
- 12th pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 6th pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 75
- 35th pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Recreation & Entertainment avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
At 0.5x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Only 0.0% of 32 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
The system grew 21% year-over-year. Fast growth means demand, but can strain support.
17% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Within the 15-30% range most franchise investors consider acceptable.
Bottom line
- Total investment $627K – $2.3M including a $45K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $708K/year (median $682K), with an estimated 17% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 18/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 32 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System growing at 37.0% CAGR over 3 years with 75 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- ESCAPOLOGY, LLC
- Parent company
- Escapology Holdings, LLC
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 11951 International Drive, #2A1, Orlando, Florida 32821
- Auditor
- CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.8M
- vs $6.6M prior year
Overview
About
Escapology franchisees operate escape room entertainment venues where customers solve puzzles and riddles to 'escape' locked rooms within a time limit. Day-to-day operations include managing game room bookings, staffing game masters, maintaining puzzle equipment, conducting safety briefings, processing customer payments, cleaning between sessions, and marketing to corporate team-building and leisure customers.
- CEO
- Charles Burton Heiss
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 28
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45K | $45K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $45K | $75K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $537K | $2.2M |
| Total initial investment | $627K | $2.3M |
Source: Escapology 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$106K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
7%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
14.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $627K – $2.3M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $45K – $75K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 6.0 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $499 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $708K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $682K
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $245K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 16.8%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 61 units
- vs category median 5 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $210K→$1.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 8 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 176 Recreation & Entertainment brands
Revenue is only 0.5x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Escapology Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 75
- Opened
- 11
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 84%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +21.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +37.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 32
- Loan volume
- $16.8M
- Median loan
- $350K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 15
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Escapology'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
- 9-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 32 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Escapology presents caution-level risk due to regulatory violations, lack of financial disclosure documentation, high capital requirements relative to stated earnings, and a small growing system with unverified performance claims.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 18 / 100 rating
- 01MINORCalifornia regulatory violation in 2023 involving material disclosure failures and record-keeping deficiencies, indicating compliance issues
- 02MINORHigh initial investment range ($626.5K–$2.3M) relative to average net income ($248K), creating 2.5–9.3 year payback period with substantial capital risk
- 03HIGHNo Item 19 financial performance representations (Going Concern: False), preventing validation of claimed average revenue/net income figures across franchisees
- 04HIGHUnit growth of 21.2% YoY is positive but system remains small (75 units), raising questions about scalability and franchisor operational capacity post-litigation
- 05MINOR6% royalty on gross sales compounds pressure on lower-performing locations; unclear if $707.7K average revenue is representative or includes outliers
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1.5 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 1 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 60 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 91 hrs
- POS system
- Resova integrated with Clover
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Resova integrated with Clover
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
18 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Escapology · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Escapology franchise?
The total investment to open a Escapology franchise ranges from $627K – $2.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Escapology franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Escapology FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $708K. The median is $682K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Escapology's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Escapology has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 32 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 Escapology franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Escapology has 75 total units in the United States, including 46 franchised units and 12 company-owned units. 11 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Escapology a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Escapology as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 18 out of 100, 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.
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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.