Genghis Grill Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Genghis Grill is a fast-casual franchise built on build-your-own Mongolian stir-fry bowls grilled to order. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing the ingredient line, grill station, staffing, and service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Genghis Grill franchise requires a total initial investment of $400K – $1.2M, including a $30K franchise fee. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 25.0% charge-off rate across 17 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $400K – $1.2M
- 65th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 49
- 65th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 25.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
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 $400K – $1.2M including a $30K franchise fee.
- RETURNSOpening-day (inception) audited balance sheet only as of June 21, 2023; franchisor formed March 2023 and has not been in business three years, so no income statement or revenue figures are provided.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 25.0% across 17 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DATAItem 19 reports Gross Sales by tertile (company-owned and franchised, 2020-2022) 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
- Genghis Grill Franchise LLC
- Parent company
- Craveworthy LLC
- Predecessor
- Genghis Grill Franchise Concepts, LP
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Manager
- Gregg Majewski
- Incorporated in
- NV
- HQ
- 755 Schneider Dr, South Elgin, IL 60177
- Auditor
- Monis J. Siddiqui, CPA P.C.
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Gregg Majewski
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 13
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 20% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Architect/Engineering Fees | $10K | $20K | |
| Business Licenses & Permits | $1K | $10K | |
| Liquor License | $0 | $50K | |
| Rent - First 3 Months | $12K | $60K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $150K | $400K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Decor | $20K | $50K | |
| Equipment | $80K | $250K | |
| Smallwares | $14K | $25K | |
| Insurance | $3K | $13K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $5K | $20K | |
| Training Costs: Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $10K | $30K | |
| Opening Inventory | $15K | $15K | |
| Signage | $5K | $50K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $15K | |
| Uniforms | $2K | $8K | |
| Computer, Point of Sale System and Annual Maintenance Contract, and Office Equipment and Supplies | $15K | $30K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $10K | $15K | |
| Additional Funds - First 3 Months | $15K | $90K | |
| Total initial investment | $400K | $1.2M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $400K – $1.2M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $90K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 6% of Gross Sales or $500 per week
- Ad fund
- 2.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Minimum $500/week floor |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 8.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Genghis Grill 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 Genghis Grill unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
12%
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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Opening-day (inception) audited balance sheet only as of June 21, 2023; franchisor formed March 2023 and has not been in business three years, so no income statement or revenue figures are provided.
- Item 19 type
- Gross Sales by tertile (company-owned and franchised, 2020-2022)
- Sample size
- 19
- vs category median 20
- Range (low → high)
- $646K→$1.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2023
- Disclosed in the 2023 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
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 8.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Gross Sales by tertile (company-owned and franchised, 2020-2022) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System contracting at -4.8% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% 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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Genghis Grill Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 49
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 2
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 10.0%
- Company-owned
- 29
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 41%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -4.8%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -4.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 2
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 2.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 4.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 4.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 7 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.
- Total loans
- 17
- Loan volume
- $10.8M
- Median loan
- $490K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 25.0%
- 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)
- 75.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 7
- Defaults
- 4
- Typical loan rate
- 5.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 21.6%
- brand above franchise avg ↑
- Jobs supported
- 503
- 5.5 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 43%
- top lender's share
Franchise vs independent — in full-service restaurants, franchised businesses charge off at 21.6% vs 22.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 4% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Genghis Grill charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Genghis Grill franchisees
Showing 3 of 7 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Genghis Grill's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 7 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 7 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
A 25.0% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 4 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 25.0% — 56% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Shrinking franchise system with minimal transparency on unit-level economics and high capital requirements creates significant investment risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Monis J. Siddiqui, CPA P.C.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 40 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDUnit count declined 4.8% YoY (49 units) — shrinking system indicates weak unit economics or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure — cannot verify average unit volumes, profitability, or ROI claims
- 03MEDHigh investment range ($400K-$1.18M) with no disclosed average revenue creates opacity around payback period
- 04MINORRoyalty floor of $500/month ($6K annually) means even struggling units must pay fixed costs
- 05MINORCasual dining/fast-casual segment highly competitive with thin margins — model vulnerable to labor cost inflation
- 06MINORNo growth trajectory evident — declining unit count suggests brand struggles with franchisee recruitment or retention
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · 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 |
| Territory radius | 2 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 | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | County where franchisor's principal business office is located (South Elgin, IL), with right to file in Nevada |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | NV |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 120 hrs
- Training location
- Dallas, Texas or alternative location designated by franchisor
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
20 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Genghis Grill · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Genghis Grill franchise?
The total investment to open a Genghis Grill franchise ranges from $400K – $1.2M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Genghis Grill franchise owners earn?
Genghis Grill 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 Genghis Grill 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 Genghis Grill FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Genghis Grill's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Genghis Grill has a charge-off rate of 25.0% across 17 loans, meaning 25.0% 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 Genghis Grill franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Genghis Grill has 49 total units in the United States, including 20 franchised units and 29 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Genghis Grill a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Genghis Grill as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.