LA CrawfishFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A LA Crawfish franchise requires a total initial investment of $346K – $504K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $799K[2]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $346K – $504K
- 23rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $799K
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 18
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 50.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-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
The system contracted 11% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $346K – $504K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $799K/year (median $798K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 74/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- LAC Franchising, LLC
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 1005 Blalock Road, Houston, Texas 77055
- Auditor
- David P. Chaney, CPA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.4M
- vs $1.1M prior year
Overview
About
LA Crawfish franchisees operate casual seafood dining establishments specializing in crawfish boils and Louisiana-style cuisine. Day-to-day operations include food preparation, inventory management, point-of-sale systems, and customer service in a quick-service or fast-casual format with protected territorial rights.
- CEO
- Minson Ngo
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $35K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $276K | $409K |
| Total initial investment | $346K | $504K |
Source: LA Crawfish 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$88K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
19%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.4 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $346K – $504K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $60K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $18K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $799K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $798K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 16 units
- vs category median 13
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How LA Crawfish Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 18
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 11.1%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 94%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -10.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -22.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Transfer rate
- 5.9%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 89.5%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 11.8%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $1.0M
- Median loan
- $518K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 50.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 50.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into LA Crawfish's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining franchise system with hidden profitability metrics, active litigation history, and unit attrition risk outweigh the attractive $798k average revenue figure.
Litigation (Item 3)
Case 1 (2019-18558): 2SuceedInvestments, LLC v. LAC Franchising, LLC & Minson Ngo filed March 13, 2019 in Harris County District Court. Plaintiffs alleged improper use of System Ad Fund and self-dealing; sought declaratory judgment on unauthorized vendors. LAC filed counterclaims for breach of contract, royalty violations, unauthorized vendors/products, unauthorized POS systems, non-compete violations, misrepresentation, and trade secret misappropriation. October 31, 2021 partial summary judgment granted in LAC's favor. Counterclaims proceeded to trial June 5, 2023 with court ruling in LAC's favor; judgment collection pending. Case 2 (2019-26235): 3XL Crawfish, LLC v. LAC Franchising, LLC, Minson Ngo, Luc Hoang, Boyd's Seafood Inc., Jason Cogburn filed April 12, 2019 in Harris County District Court. Plaintiff (former vendor co-owned by Minson Ngo until March 2019) alleged unlawful interference and breach of contract. Case resolved via court-ordered mediation with LAC Franchising and Minson Ngo paying 3XL $20,000; case dismissed with prejudice, no admission of fault.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · David P. Chaney, CPA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 10.5% YoY (18 units) indicates system contraction and potential franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MEDNet Income not disclosed in Item 19 prevents ROI validation; $346k-$503.5k investment requires clear profitability proof
- 03HIGHTwo litigation cases show franchisor-franchisee disputes over vendor control and advertising fund management, suggesting operational friction
- 04MED6% royalty on $798k avg revenue = ~$48k annual royalty with undisclosed overhead and actual net margins unknown
- 05MINOR10-year term locks franchisees into potentially underperforming concept without clear exit strategy given declining unit trend
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Geographic |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Case 1 (2019-18558): 2SuceedInvestments, LLC v. LAC Franchising, LLC & Minson Ngo filed March 13, 2019 in Harris County District Court. Plaintiffs alleged improper use of System Ad Fund and self-dealing; sought declaratory judgment on unauthorized vendors. LAC filed counterclaims for breach of contract, royalty violations, unauthorized vendors/products, unauthorized POS systems, non-compete violations, misrepresentation, and trade secret misappropriation. October 31, 2021 partial summary judgment granted in LAC's favor. Counterclaims proceeded to trial June 5, 2023 with court ruling in LAC's favor; judgment collection pending. Case 2 (2019-26235): 3XL Crawfish, LLC v. LAC Franchising, LLC, Minson Ngo, Luc Hoang, Boyd's Seafood Inc., Jason Cogburn filed April 12, 2019 in Harris County District Court. Plaintiff (former vendor co-owned by Minson Ngo until March 2019) alleged unlawful interference and breach of contract. Case resolved via court-ordered mediation with LAC Franchising and Minson Ngo paying 3XL $20,000; case dismissed with prejudice, no admission of fault.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 42 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 96 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- POS system
- EPOSNOW Software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: EPOSNOW Software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2 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 LA Crawfish franchise?
The total investment to open a LA Crawfish franchise ranges from $346K – $504K, 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 LA Crawfish franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the LA Crawfish FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $799K. The median is $798K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is LA Crawfish's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for LA Crawfish (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 LA Crawfish franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, LA Crawfish has 18 total units in the United States, including 17 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is LA Crawfish a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates LA Crawfish as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 74 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.
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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.