LA Crawfish Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $346K – $504K
- Disclosed sales
- $799K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (2)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
LA Crawfish is a casual seafood franchise serving Louisiana-style crawfish boils, Cajun dishes, and Viet-Cajun fare. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing the kitchen, dining service, and staffing.
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]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: partial✓ 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 scored7 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $346K – $504K
- 16th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $799K
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 25th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 18
- 18th 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 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 $346K – $504K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $799K/year (median $798K).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -2 franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 2 closed) (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- 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
- $1.1M
- vs $1.4M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Minson Ngo
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 37% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $346K – $504K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $60K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 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% |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $18K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 50% below the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · 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 LA Crawfish 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
$472K
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 LA Crawfish 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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $799K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $798K
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
- 16 outlets
- vs category median 18
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 801 Full-Service Restaurants brands
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 $799K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.9x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% (near the Full-Service Restaurants median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -22.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 medians
How LA Crawfish Compares
Category median of published Full-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 2024 · Item 20
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 (3-yr)
- -10.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -22.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 2
- 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
- Under 10 loans (2)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 2 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (2)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (2)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- 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
Declining franchise system with hidden profitability metrics, active litigation history, and unit attrition risk outweigh the attractive $798k average revenue figure.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
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 40 / 100 verdict
- 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
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | Geographic |
| 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
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.
Who owns LA Crawfish?
LA Crawfish is franchised by LAC Franchising, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the LA Crawfish 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 LA Crawfish FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 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?
If you represent LA Crawfish, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Full-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Full-Service Restaurants category
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.