Just Salad Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Just Salad is a fast-casual franchise serving made-to-order salads, wraps, and bowls with a sustainability focus and reusable bowls. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing fresh prep, staffing, and counter and delivery service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Just Salad franchise requires a total initial investment of $306K – $1.3M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $306K – $1.3M
- 50th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 47
- 64th 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 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 $306K – $1.3M including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSTotal revenue comprises royalty and marketing income ($115,504) and franchise fee income ($30,915) for fiscal year ended December 26, 2021.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 56/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 400.0% CAGR over 3 years with 47 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Just Salad Franchise US LLC
- Parent company
- Just Salad LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Managing Member
- Nicholas F. Kenner
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 663 Lexington Ave, Floor 2, New York, New York 10022
- Auditor
- CohnReznick
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $146K
- vs $72K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Nicholas F. Kenner
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 2017
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 6
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 18% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown21 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $30K | |
| Training expensesnot refundable | $5K | $13K | |
| Real property | — | — | |
| Development team site visitnot refundable | $0 | $400 | |
| Equipment, fixtures, other fixed assets, construction, design, remodeling, leasehold improvements and decorating costsnot refundable | $201K | $962K | |
| Point of sale system (hardware and software)not refundable | $7K | $17K | |
| Just Salad Online Ordering Systemnot refundable | $375 | $375 | |
| Opening inventorynot refundable | $9K | $14K | |
| Security deposits, utility deposits, business licenses, and other prepaid expensesnot refundable | $0 | $100K | |
| Organizational expense - fees to accountant/attorneynot refundable | $4K | $10K | |
| Uniformsnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Menu Board and Signsnot refundable | $3K | $15K | |
| Printed Menusnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Security Systemnot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Furniture (tables and chairs)not refundable | $2K | $20K | |
| Small Waresnot refundable | $8K | $14K | |
| Electronic equipment, telephone and internet installationnot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Insurance (annual premium)not refundable | $4K | $12K | |
| Additional funds (initial period - 3 months)not refundable | $25K | $30K | |
| Development Fee (Area Developer, 2-5 Restaurants)not refundable | $15K | $60K | |
| Total initial investment | $324K | $1.3M |
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
- $306K – $1.3M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $30K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $125 |
| Training fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $1 |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $9K – $14K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Just Salad 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 Just Salad unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
13%
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: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
Total revenue comprises royalty and marketing income ($115,504) and franchise fee income ($30,915) for fiscal year ended December 26, 2021.
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 7.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System expanding at 400.0% CAGR over 3 years across 47 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Just Salad Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 47
- Opened
- 2
- 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
- 42
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 11%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 5
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $1.2M
- Median loan
- $1.2M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Just Salad presents caution-level risk due to absent financial performance data, unprotected territories, and rapid system expansion without transparent unit economics.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CohnReznick
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
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure (average unit revenue and net income not provided) — impossible to validate ROI claims
- 02MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk; other franchisees can open near your location
- 03MINORWide investment range ($306k-$1.25M) indicates inconsistent build-out costs or unclear financial projections
- 04MEDNo litigation disclosed but QSR salad category has faced food safety scrutiny; reputational risk not quantified
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| 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 | 15 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 18 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NY |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 4 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 272 hrs
- Training location
- New York, NY
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Brink
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Brink
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Just Salad · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Just Salad franchise?
The total investment to open a Just Salad franchise ranges from $306K – $1.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Just Salad franchise owners earn?
Just Salad 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 Just Salad 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 Just Salad FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Just Salad's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Just Salad (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 Just Salad franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Just Salad has 47 total units in the United States, including 5 franchised units and 42 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Just Salad a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Just Salad as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 56 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 Just Salad, 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.