Family Fare Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $30K – $1.2M
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Family Fare is a convenience-store franchise operating neighborhood gas-and-go retail sites. Franchisees run extended-hour stores managing fuel, in-store merchandise, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Family Fare franchise requires a total initial investment of $30K – $1.2M, including a $10K – $1.0M franchise fee. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
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: 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 scored3 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $30K – $1.2M
- 1st pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Projection
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 104
- 29th pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail 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 $30K – $1.2M including a $10K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 discloses historical transfer purchase prices paid by transferees who bought existing Family Fare stores from franchisees (Jan 1, 2018 - Dec 31, 2024), not gross sales. Prices ranged from $10,000 to $240,000. No average/median gross sales were disclosed.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 75/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (5 opened, 5 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports transfer prices 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
- FAMILY FARE, LLC
- Parent company
- M. M. Fowler, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- M. L. Barnes, Jr. (69.7% owner); BFP LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (30.3% owner)
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- M. M. Fowler, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Marvin Barnes
- CEO experience
- 2003 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- NC
- HQ
- 4220 Neal Road, Durham, NC 27705
- Auditor
- B. Dane Byers, CPA, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $22.9M
- vs $21.7M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Marvin Barnes
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2003
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 79% above the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $10K | $10K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $5K | $1.1M |
| Total initial investment | $30K | $1.2M |
Source: Family Fare 2025 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
- $30K – $1.2M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $60K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $1.0M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Continuing Royalty is a percentage of Franchisee's GROSS …
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Variable percentage of Gross Profit - Standard: 56%, Option A: 53%, Option B: 50% |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% |
| Transfer fee | $31K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $0 – $0 |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Family Fare is on file. 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 Family Fare 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, royalty rate, 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 discloses historical transfer purchase prices paid by transferees who bought existing Family Fare stores from franchisees (Jan 1, 2018 - Dec 31, 2024), not gross sales. Prices ranged from $10,000 to $240,000. No average/median gross sales were disclosed.
Not a revenue figure
- Item 19 type
- transfer prices
- Sample size
- 68
- vs category median 46
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
Compared against 278 Retail brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports transfer prices rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (+2.0% 3-year CAGR) with 104 units.
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 Retail medians
How Family Fare Compares
Category median of published Retail 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 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 104
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +2.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +2.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 13
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 12.5%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 4.8%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
104 current owners across 2 states.
- NC 101
- VA 3
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20; 2 entries carry no state. 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.
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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
2 concluded cases: (1) Elsayed & Salamah v. Family Fare LLC et al. (2018) - franchisee-brought multi-count suit; all claims dismissed in favor of franchisor. (2) Sanghrajka and Cary Foods v. Family Fare LLC (2017) - former franchisee suit; dismissed with prejudice, franchisor awarded $61,718.50 in fees.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · B. Dane Byers, CPA, 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: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORExtremely high royalty rate of 56% of gross profit leaves minimal margin for franchisee profitability
- 02MINORNo revenue or net income disclosure prevents accurate ROI assessment
- 03MINORTwo lawsuits involving discrimination and misrepresentation claims suggest franchisor-franchisee relationship problems
- 04MINOR104 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests possible stagnation or contraction
- 05MINORNo protected territory creates direct competition between franchisees
- 06MINORWide investment range ($30K-$1.17M) indicates inconsistent unit economics
- 07MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard, creating renewal uncertainty
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 31 mi |
| 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 | 3 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 60 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 3 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 12 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Durham, NC (state court litigation only; no arbitration) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NC |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
2 concluded cases: (1) Elsayed & Salamah v. Family Fare LLC et al. (2018) - franchisee-brought multi-count suit; all claims dismissed in favor of franchisor. (2) Sanghrajka and Cary Foods v. Family Fare LLC (2017) - former franchisee suit; dismissed with prejudice, franchisor awarded $61,718.50 in fees.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 10 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 51 hrs
- Training location
- Service Collaboration and Support Center, Durham, NC or designated location; and at the store
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 14 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Electronic cash register / Computer Systems (provided by affiliate, included in rent)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Electronic cash register / Computer Systems (provided by affiliate, included in rent)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
106 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 Family Fare franchise?
The total investment to open a Family Fare franchise ranges from $30K – $1.2M, with an initial franchise fee of $10K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Family Fare franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the Family Fare FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Family Fare?
Family Fare is franchised by FAMILY FARE, LLC. Its parent company is M. M. Fowler, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is M. L. Barnes, Jr. (69.7% owner); BFP LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (30.3% owner). Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Family Fare 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 Family Fare FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Family Fare's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Family Fare (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 Family Fare franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Family Fare has 104 total units in the United States, including 104 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Family Fare a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Family Fare as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 75 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.
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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.