Hop & Grape Taproom Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Hop & Grape Taproom is a beverage franchise operating taprooms that serve craft beer, wine, and food. Franchisees run the taprooms, managing beverage service, kitchen, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Hop & Grape Taproom franchise requires a total initial investment of $215K – $415K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $215K – $415K
- 9th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1 outlet
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-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 $215K – $415K including a $35K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 contains only an unaudited internal balance sheet by month (Jan-May 2025) for newly-formed Hop & Grape Holding LLC (formed April 5, 2025). No audited financial statements, no income statement, and no revenue figures are disclosed. Cover page flags that the lack of audited statements calls the franchisor's financial ability into question.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 31/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Hop & Grape Holding LLC
- CEO title
- Member
- Scott J. Gebelein
- Incorporated in
- WI
- HQ
- 205A W. Upham Street, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Independent franchisee associations
- Independent Franchisee Association
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- currently sells or leases any products or services to you
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Scott J. Gebelein
- Headquarters
- WI
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 0
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 73% below the typical full-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) | $20K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $160K | $330K |
| Total initial investment | $215K | $415K |
Source: Hop & Grape Taproom 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
- $215K – $415K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $4K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Hop & Grape Taproom 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 Hop & Grape Taproom unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
28%
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 contains only an unaudited internal balance sheet by month (Jan-May 2025) for newly-formed Hop & Grape Holding LLC (formed April 5, 2025). No audited financial statements, no income statement, and no revenue figures are disclosed. Cover page flags that the lack of audited statements calls the franchisor's financial ability into question.
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 5.0% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Hop & Grape Taproom Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Last reporting year only, multi-year history not disclosed in this brand's FDD.
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)
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
No audited financials on file
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 31 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDZero existing franchise units indicates brand has never successfully scaled or all units have failed/closed
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI analysis and suggests poor unit economics
- 03HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE, indicating financial instability at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($215k-$415k) with no performance benchmarks creates significant capital risk
- 05MINORMinimal $35k franchise fee relative to total investment suggests franchisor lacks capital and may underfund support
- 06MED4% royalty on undisclosed revenues means franchisee cannot forecast ongoing costs or franchisor sustainability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 5.0% 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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 25,000 |
| 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 | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Wisconsin |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | WI |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- Hop & Grape Taproom in or near Marshfield, Wisconsin
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; Hop & Grape reviews
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Square POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square POS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Hop & Grape Taproom · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Hop & Grape Taproom franchise?
The total investment to open a Hop & Grape Taproom franchise ranges from $215K – $415K, 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 Hop & Grape Taproom franchise owners earn?
Hop & Grape Taproom 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 Hop & Grape Taproom 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 Hop & Grape Taproom FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Hop & Grape Taproom's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Hop & Grape Taproom (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 Hop & Grape Taproom franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Hop & Grape Taproom has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Hop & Grape Taproom a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Hop & Grape Taproom as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 31 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 Hop & Grape Taproom, 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.