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Hummus Republic Express Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data

Quick-Service RestaurantsCaliforniaFranchising since 2018

56/100

Second tier

56 this brand51 Quick-Service Restaurants medianlikely 36–76: narrower with more SBA loans (very low confidence)

Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice

#1,228 of 3,069 graded brands

Why a B: Helped by unit growth, legal record and transparency. Held back by financial health and scale. See all six factors

Total investment
$207K – $531K
Avg gross sales
not extracted
SBA charge-off
Not SBA-matched
2026 FDDData QualityLimitedFew fields extractedNo territory protection

Data from the FDD filing. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing

FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD

Per the 2026 FDD, a Hummus Republic Express franchise requires a total initial investment of $207K – $531K, including a $36K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 6.0%. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. Verdict grade: B (Second tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.

Sources: 2026 FDD · What one unit could make and lose →

Sources, dates and evidence

FDD issued: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)

Evidence for the headline figures: thin✓ 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 scored4 of 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.

Overview

Bottom line

  • RETURNSItem 19 also separately reports Gross Sales, COGS, Gross Profit, and Gross Margin (COGS-basis, not full operating-expense net income) for 8 of the 26 restaurants; these Gross Margin figures exclude labor, occupancy, marketing, royalties, and other operating expenses and were not used as avg_net_income.
  • GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 14 (14 opened, 0 closed).
  • TERMSNo protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.

AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $48K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $74K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $295K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose

Things to check before you sign (3)

  • The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
  • The franchisor receives rebates or payments from suppliers you buy from (Item 8, required suppliers).
  • Limited data: this page holds only part of the filing. Read the FDD itself before relying on any figure here.

Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating and no lawsuit naming the franchisor in Item 3. Not on file here, so ask: unit trend, SBA charge-off rate against the category median, jury-trial waiver and owner-operator rule.

What to do next

  1. Step 1: Read the FDD itself.

    Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.

  2. Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.

    Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.

  3. Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.

    Free: the SBA's Lender Match. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.

  4. Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.

    Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.

Research steps, not investment or legal advice.

Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?

Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 24% below the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($487K).

Total investment$207K – $531KSource: 2026 FDD, page 18
Franchise fee$36,000
Verified · 2026 FDD p.8, show the quoted text2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, page 8, Item 5Fee You pay us a lump sum franchise fee when you sign the Franchise Agreement. The amount of the fee due is thirty-six thousand dollars ($36,000 …Quoted from the franchisor's filing.
Royalty6.0%
2026 FDD p.9, show the quoted text2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, page 9, Item 6… franchisees pay any initial fees thar varied from those stated above. Item 6 OTHER FEES Type of Fee Amount Due Date Remarks Royalty Fee1 6% of Gross Sales Weekly …Quoted from the franchisor's filing. Table text, cells in reading order; column headings may sit outside the quoted lines.
Ad fund2.0%
2026 FDD p.9, show the quoted text2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, page 9, Item 6Brand Development Fund Contribution 2%Quoted from the franchisor's filing.
Working capital$30K – $70K

Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)

Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Hummus Republic Franchising USA, Inc. (Item 1: 20855-10b Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.

FDD Item 7 (startup costs) · 2026 filing

Initial investment breakdown

Hummus Republic Express: Item 7 initial investment breakdown
Cost componentLowHigh
Initial franchise fee$36K$36K
Working capital (first 3 months)$30K$70K
Equipment, build-out, other$141K$425K
Total initial investment$207K$531K

Source: Hummus Republic Express 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.

Item 6 · what you pay once you are open

Ongoing fees

Hummus Republic Express: Item 6 recurring fees
FeeAmount
Royalty6.0% of gross sales
Marketing / ad fund2.0% of gross sales
Technology feeMonthly technology fee, currently $250-$500, capped at $500/month, for CRM software and internal program access$250–$500/month
Transfer fee$18,000
Renewal fee$7,200
Total fee loadabove the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.0% (heavy)8.0% of sales

Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled

What you could make and lose: one unit

What one Hummus Republic Express unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.

How these figures are worked out
  • Loan (assumption): 80% of the $369K Item 7 midpoint is a $295K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $48K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours.

What you put at risk

Your own cash in: about $74K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $369K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $295K.

Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.

Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.

Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable

No Item 19 gross sales figure for Hummus Republic Express is on file. The return models need one gross sales figure to start from, plus the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions; nothing here is modelled until you do.

Returns model · one unit

What would one Hummus Republic Express unit leave you each year after the loan payment?

FDDFrom the filingNot set: not on this page yet; this brand's Item 19 prints it. Read it there and enter itYou overrode an FDD valueAssumed: our stated assumption, edit it
Gross sales · per unit, per year

Not disclosed in Item 19. Enter your own gross sales assumption

Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.

Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Operating costs · you supply them

This brand's Item 19 prints cost or operating-income lines that are not on this page yet. Read them in Item 19 and enter them here.

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.

Total invested capital · what you put in to open

Item 7 midpoint of $207K to $531K

Item 7's $30K to $70K additional funds are already in the total

Financing · assumed SBA 7(a)-style loan

Left after the loan payment · per year

The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.

Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies annual revenue, COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.


Store EBITDA · annual
Needs the inputs above
EBITDA margin
Needs the inputs above
Total invested
$369K
Your cash in
$74K
Loan payment · assumed
$48K/yr
Return on invested capital
Needs the inputs above
Payback
Needs the inputs above

Loan of $295K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.

One unit only. An owner of several units also pays for shared services (managers, accounting, a head office), which the multi-unit model adds on top of these figures.

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: 2026 FDD · filed by Hummus Republic Franchising USA, Inc.

Financial performance

Item 19 also separately reports Gross Sales, COGS, Gross Profit, and Gross Margin (COGS-basis, not full operating-expense net income) for 8 of the 26 restaurants; these Gross Margin figures exclude labor, occupancy, marketing, royalties, and other operating expenses and were not used as avg_net_income.

Item 19 covers the parent format. The filing's Item 19 groups describe Hummus Republic, not this format, so they are printed on the Hummus Republic page.

System figures: see Hummus Republic

System figures: see Hummus Republic

Government records

SBA loan data

Matched to this brand from SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan records.

No SBA loan data available for this brand.

What are the risks?

Main risk in the grade: financial health, then scale. The reasons are below.

SBA charge-offNot SBA-matched
Litigation0 cases
Auditor going-concern doubtNo (favorable)

Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21

What are you signing up for?

Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.

Initial term10 yrs
Renewal term5 yrs
TerritoryNone (check the terms)
Initial trainingNot extracted

Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17

FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)

Contract and territory detail

Allowed renewals2
Protected territoryNo
Exclusive territoryNo
Franchisor can competeYes
Non-compete (years)2 years
Non-compete (miles)5 mi
Right of first refusalYes
Transfer requires consentYes
Termination notice30 days
Termination grounds14
Mandatory arbitrationYes
Arbitration locationWoodland Hills, California

Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)

Training and operations

On-the-job training
72 hrs
Franchisor financing
Not offered
Item 10
POS system
Otter
Operating tech stack

Franchisee contacts

We hold no owner list for this brand. Item 20 of the FDD lists the current and former owners; the free FDD is the source.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to open a Hummus Republic Express franchise?

Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a Hummus Republic Express franchise ranges from $207K to $531K, with an initial franchise fee of $36K. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. It usually leaves out buying land or a building; Item 7's notes say what is excluded.

What do Hummus Republic Express franchise owners earn?

No average owner earnings figure for Hummus Republic Express is on file. Item 19, where a franchisor may disclose what its outlets earn, is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and we have not established what this brand's FDD says. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.

Who owns Hummus Republic Express?

Hummus Republic Express is franchised by Hummus Republic Franchising USA, Inc. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.

What is Item 19 in the Hummus Republic Express 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 Hummus Republic Express FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.

What is Hummus Republic Express' franchise failure rate?

There is no published franchise failure rate, and Hummus Republic Express has too few resolved SBA 7(a) loans on file (fewer than 10) to show an SBA charge-off rate that would mean anything. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. Review the turnover and closure figures in Item 20 of the FDD and speak with current and former franchisees.

Is Hummus Republic Express a good franchise to buy?

FranchiseVerdict gives Hummus Republic Express a B Verdict grade (Second tier) with a verdict score of 56 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by unit growth (turnover 22.7%), legal record and transparency. Held back by financial health (audited financials) and scale (franchising since 2018). The “Why a B” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.

Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises

Similar investment first, then by grade

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.