Hawaiian Bros Island GrillFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Hawaiian Bros Island Grill franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.2M – $4.1M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.5M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.2M – $4.1M
- 97th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.5M
- 56th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 52
- 63rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.2M – $4.1M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.5M/year (median $2.4M).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 56/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- HAWAIIAN BROS FRANCHISING, LLC
- Parent company
- Hawaiian Bros Inc.
- CEO title
- President and CEO
- Scott Ford
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- MO
- HQ
- 720 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105
- Auditor
- Moss Adams, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.6M
- vs $4.1M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- HBGC
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
A restaurant trade name and business system that serves the traditional Hawaiian plate lunch and other fresh, high quality Hawaiian cuisine in a Hawaiian-themed atmosphere.
- CEO
- Scott Ford
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 9
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 18 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee Deposit | $25K | $50K | |
| Security Deposits and Utility Deposits | $9K | $40K | |
| Construction, Remodeling, and Leasehold Improvements, Landscaping | $362K | $2.4M | |
| Decor, Millwork, Fixtures | $44K | $100K | |
| Equipment and Furniture | $300K | $525K | |
| Computer, Point of Sale Equipment, Software, Network/WiFi, Low Voltage Wiring, Security and Communications | $73K | $102K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $5K | |
| Permits and Licenses | $600 | $15K | |
| Initial Inventory | $12K | $15K | |
| Signage | $38K | $200K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising and VIP Events | $40K | $55K | |
| Architectural / Engineering Plans, Construction Documents | $24K | $174K | |
| Construction Document Review Fee | $5K | $5K | |
| Training Expenses (managers' salaries, travel, meal and lodging for 8 weeks) | $29K | $60K | |
| New Restaurant Opening Assistance for 1st NRO - Travel, Lodging, Meal Reimbursement | $55K | $65K | |
| Apparel (Uniforms and Merchandise) | $3K | $4K | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (includes pre-opening expenses) | $114K | $277K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.1M | $4.1M |
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.
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
$323K
13.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
11%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
8.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.2M – $4.1M
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $114K – $277K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Inventory (initial) | $12K – $15K |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.5M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.4M
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 41 units
- vs category median 28
- Range (low → high)
- $1.1M→$4.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.9x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Hawaiian Bros Island Grill Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 52
- Opened
- 14
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 21
- Corporate units in the system
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 18
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 7.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Item 3 (Litigation) section not provided - no litigation disclosure information available
Largest disclosed settlement: $50,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc. (former employer of General Counsel Cynthia Dillard Parres) filed voluntary Chapter 11 petition on November 14, 2019, Case No. 19-12415 (MFW), United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Asset sale consummated December 2019. Liquidating plan confirmed November 5, 2020. Plan Administrator appointed to liquidate remaining assets.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Moss Adams, 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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 15 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Missouri |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 (Litigation) section not provided - no litigation disclosure information available
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 194 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 202 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor's location and on-site at franchisee's restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
36 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Hawaiian Bros Island Grill · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Hawaiian Bros Island Grill franchise?
The total investment to open a Hawaiian Bros Island Grill franchise ranges from $1.2M – $4.1M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Hawaiian Bros Island Grill franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Hawaiian Bros Island Grill FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.5M. The median is $2.4M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Hawaiian Bros Island Grill's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Hawaiian Bros Island Grill (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 Hawaiian Bros Island Grill franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill has 52 total units in the United States, including 31 franchised units and 21 company-owned units. 14 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Hawaiian Bros Island Grill a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Hawaiian Bros Island Grill as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 56 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.
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.