Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Golden Krust is a quick-service franchise serving Caribbean and Jamaican favorites, beef patties, jerk chicken, and rice and peas. Franchisees run restaurants managing food prep, counter service, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant franchise requires a total initial investment of $213K – $776K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 19 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $213K – $776K
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subset
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 11th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 108
- 78th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % 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 $213K – $776K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSTotal revenue = Total Franchise Revenues (royalties $3,566,598 + advertising $1,503,874 + franchising fees $95,050 = $5,165,522) plus company-owned restaurant sales $2,896,104, FY2022 (year ended Dec 31, 2022). Audited by CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; report dated Sept 21, 2023. Going-concern/financial-condition risk highlighted on cover (Item 21).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 69/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 19 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Golden Krust Franchising, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Zehra Sheriff
- Incorporated in
- NY
- HQ
- 399 Knollwood Road, Suite 117, White Plains, NY 10603
- Auditor
- CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5.9M
- vs $5.3M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Zehra Sheriff
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 1995
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 8
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 25% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $40K | $40K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $81K | $407K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $48K | $98K | |
| POS - Computer Hardware & Implementation | $3K | $4K | |
| Signage | $4K | $16K | |
| First Month's Rent | $3K | $15K | |
| Security Deposit | $0 | $45K | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $10K | $18K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $3K | $10K | |
| Training Expenses | $3K | $5K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $8K | $18K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $10K | $100K | |
| Total initial investment | $213K | $776K |
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
- $213K – $776K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $100K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $18K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant 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 Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
21%
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Total revenue = Total Franchise Revenues (royalties $3,566,598 + advertising $1,503,874 + franchising fees $95,050 = $5,165,522) plus company-owned restaurant sales $2,896,104, FY2022 (year ended Dec 31, 2022). Audited by CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; report dated Sept 21, 2023. Going-concern/financial-condition risk highlighted on cover (Item 21).
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Item 19 type
- Gross Revenue by Quartile
- Sample size
- 106
- vs category median 20 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $131K→$4.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $558K→$2.5M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 3 / 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 6.5% — below the Quick-Service Restaurants average of 7.9%.
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 roughly stable (-0.9% 3-year CAGR) with 108 units.
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 Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 108
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 8.5%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -0.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 10
- Closed (3yr)
- 8
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 0.9%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 4.6%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 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
- 19
- Loan volume
- $5.0M
- Median loan
- $264K
- average
- 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)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 13
- Defaults
- 0
Vintage analysis
Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant franchisees
Showing 3 of 13 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 Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant'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 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 19 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower 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
Golden Krust presents a CAUTION-to-HIGH RISK profile due to shrinking unit base, unresolved litigation over fee practices and competition, undisclosed profitability metrics, and franchisor financial concerns—requiring extensive validation before commitment.
Litigation (Item 3)
Three arbitration/litigation matters disclosed: (1) GK v. Clayborne – GK prevailed, awarded ~$710K; (2) Auctus/Klayrock v. GK – franchisees prevailed, GK paid $1.95M settlement; (3) Clayborne v. GK – pending arbitration as of issuance date
Largest disclosed settlement: $1,950,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
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 69 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-0.9% YoY) signals system contraction and potential franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02HIGHActive litigation involving non-competition, breach of contract, and discriminatory fee practices suggests franchisor-franchisee conflict and operational inconsistency
- 03MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 prevents accurate ROI calculation; with $212,600-$775,900 investment required, profitability opacity is critical gap
- 04MINORRoyalty floor of $250/week ($13,000 annually) creates fixed burden even during low-revenue periods, compressing margins for struggling locations
- 05MINORUnprotected territory exposes franchisees to direct competition from other Golden Krust units and cannibalization risk
- 06HIGHGoing Concern status (False) indicates franchisor financial instability or operational red flags flagged by accountants
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| 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 | White Plains, New York |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NY |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Three arbitration/litigation matters disclosed: (1) GK v. Clayborne – GK prevailed, awarded ~$710K; (2) Auctus/Klayrock v. GK – franchisees prevailed, GK paid $1.95M settlement; (3) Clayborne v. GK – pending arbitration as of issuance date
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 120 hrs
- Training location
- Golden Krust training facility in Bronx, NY or at a designated training center or functioning Restaurant
- 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
71 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant franchise?
The total investment to open a Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant franchise ranges from $213K – $776K, 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 Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant franchise owners earn?
Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant 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 Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant 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 Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 19 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 Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant has 108 total units in the United States, including 106 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 69 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?
If you represent Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.