Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh is a fast-casual franchise serving made-to-order Mediterranean bowls, pitas, and fresh hummus and falafel. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh franchise requires a total initial investment of $512K – $805K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $512K – $805K
- 77th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Net sales
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 26
- 54th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants 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 $512K – $805K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 financials are the consolidated statements of Restaurant Co., LLC dba WOWorks (the franchisor's sole member/parent), not Garbanzo Franchising Co., LLC standalone. FY ended Sept 29, 2024. Total revenue of $32,134,573 comprises franchise and royalty $10,220,907, food and beverage $12,382,154, support and marketing fees $9,447,996, and rental income from subleases $83,516. Member's equity is a deficit of $(924,730). Most recent year audited by Hill, Barth & King LLC; prior year (FY2023) audited by Zapken & Loeb LLP, who later merged with HBK.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 60/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Garbanzo Franchising Co., LLC
- Parent company
- Restaurant Co., LLC dba WOWorks
- Ultimate parent
- CLP Dining, LLC
- Predecessor
- Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill Franchising, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Bryan Kelly Roddy
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 3135 1st Avenue N., Suite 15459, St. Petersburg, FL 33733
- Auditor
- Hill, Barth & King LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $32.1M
- vs $34.8M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Bryan Kelly Roddy
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 14
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about average for a quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $35K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $462K | $735K |
| Total initial investment | $512K | $805K |
Source: Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh 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
- $512K – $805K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $605 |
| Training fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $18K |
| Inventory (initial) | $8K – $12K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh 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 Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
14%
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 21 financials are the consolidated statements of Restaurant Co., LLC dba WOWorks (the franchisor's sole member/parent), not Garbanzo Franchising Co., LLC standalone. FY ended Sept 29, 2024. Total revenue of $32,134,573 comprises franchise and royalty $10,220,907, food and beverage $12,382,154, support and marketing fees $9,447,996, and rental income from subleases $83,516. Member's equity is a deficit of $(924,730). Most recent year audited by Hill, Barth & King LLC; prior year (FY2023) audited by Zapken & Loeb LLP, who later merged with HBK.
Reported as net sales, not gross sales
- Item 19 type
- net sales
- Sample size
- 15
- vs category median 20
- Range (low → high)
- $111K→$4.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants 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 9.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
System expanding at 5.9% CAGR over 3 years across 26 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 26
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 5
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 44.4%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 69%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +5.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +5.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 10
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 7
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 19.2%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 26.9%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 14 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.
14
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $1.5M
- Median loan
- $602K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (3 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Contracting franchise system with undisclosed profitability, prior litigation, and high capital requirements presents material risk despite protected territories.
Litigation (Item 3)
No current litigation for Garbanzo Franchising Co., LLC. Predecessor had one arbitration/action (Topper/GARBOCA, LLC) settled with $50,000 + $30,000 payments.
Largest disclosed settlement: $50,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Predecessor Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill Franchising, LLC filed Chapter 11 on August 12, 2020 in the Eastern District of Missouri (Case No. 20-43964-399). Current franchisor acquired predecessor's assets December 21, 2020. Case closed February 19, 2021.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Hill, Barth & King LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
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 60 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDUnit count declined 10% YoY (26 units), indicating system contraction and potential market saturation or operational challenges
- 02HIGHPrior litigation and arbitration with founder David Topper over development obligations and unit closures suggests franchisor-franchisee relationship strain
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($511.5k-$805k) with 6% royalties creates significant break-even burden in a declining unit system
- 04MEDGoing Concern status marked as 'False' may indicate financial stability questions or recent restructuring not fully disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 24 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 9 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Pennsylvania (Montgomery County / Eastern District of PA) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | PA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No current litigation for Garbanzo Franchising Co., LLC. Predecessor had one arbitration/action (Topper/GARBOCA, LLC) settled with $50,000 + $30,000 payments.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- Denver, CO / Virtual
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 80 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
20 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh franchise?
The total investment to open a Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh franchise ranges from $512K – $805K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh franchise owners earn?
Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh 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 Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh 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 Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh (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 Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh has 26 total units in the United States, including 18 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 60 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.