Hawaiian Bros Island Grill Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $1.2M – $4.1M
- Disclosed sales
- $2.5M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Hawaiian Bros Island Grill is a fast-casual franchise serving Hawaiian plate lunches like teriyaki and huli huli chicken with rice and macaroni salad. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing a limited menu, staffing, and drive-thru service.
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]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), 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 scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $1.2M – $4.1M
- 94th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.5M
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 52
- 66th 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 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 $1.2M – $4.1M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $2.5M/year (median $2.3M).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 54/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +13 franchised outlets in the latest year (14 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- FLAGItem 4 discloses a bankruptcy of an officer or of a company an officer ran, not of the franchisor. Review Item 4 for details.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Hawaiian Bros Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Hawaiian Bros Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- 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, MO 64105
- Auditor
- Moss Adams LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.1M
- vs $2.6M 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
- CEO
- Scott Ford
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 9
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 443% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown18 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee Deposit | $50K | $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, Internet Circuit/Modem, Safes, Monitors, Fire Alarm/Suppression, Standard Speakers, Music System, HME System, Phones, Sec | $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 expenses 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 | $1.2M | $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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.2M – $4.1M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $114K – $277K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · 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 | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Inventory (initial) | $12K – $15K |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 156% above the quick-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Hawaiian Bros Island Grill until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$2.8M
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Hawaiian Bros Island Grill 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 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.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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
- Avg gross sales
- $2.5M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.3M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 21 outlets
- vs category median 19
- Range (low → high)
- $1.1M→$4.0MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 68 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
Compared against 781 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.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $2.5M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.9x.
Fee burden
6.0% royalty + 3.0% ad fund.
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 medians
How Hawaiian Bros Island Grill Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants 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
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 21
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 60%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
36 current owners across 10 states.
- TX 19
- AZ 5
- AR 2
- FM 2
- IA 2
- KS 2
- CO 1
- MO 1
- NE 1
- OK 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. 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: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Subject: an officer. An officer’s own bankruptcy or a company an officer ran, not the franchisor’s
General Counsel Cynthia Dillard Parres was General Counsel of Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc. which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 14, 2019 (In re HRI Holding Corp., Case No. 19-12415 MFW, D. Del.)
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Moss Adams LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Total revenues consist entirely of franchise revenues for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2024.
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
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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 15 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| 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 | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | MO |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 47 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 349 hrs
- Training location
- Approved Company Owned Restaurant in Kansas City metropolitan area
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 10 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
36 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 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 $2.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Hawaiian Bros Island Grill?
Hawaiian Bros Island Grill is franchised by Hawaiian Bros Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Hawaiian Bros Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Hawaiian Bros Island 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 Hawaiian Bros Island Grill FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 verdict score of 54 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.
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.