Little Kitchen Academy Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Little Kitchen Academy is a children's culinary education franchise offering hands-on cooking classes, camps, and parties for kids. Franchisees run the studios, managing instructors, scheduling, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Little Kitchen Academy franchise requires a total initial investment of $409K – $747K, including a $65K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $277K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $409K – $747K
- 19th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $277K
- 1 outlet0th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 6
- 9th 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 $409K – $747K including a $65K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $277K/year.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 46/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGRevenue data based on only 1 outlet. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Little Kitchen Academy USA, Inc.
- Parent company
- Little Kitchen Academy Ltd. (LKA)
- CEO title
- CEO/CMO, Co-Founder, and Director
- Brian Curin
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite #2907, Los Angeles, CA 90067
- Auditor
- AG LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.5M
- vs $813K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brian Curin
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 50% 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 | $65K | $65K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $329K | $652K |
| Total initial investment | $409K | $747K |
Source: Little Kitchen Academy 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
- $409K – $747K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $65K – $65K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $3K |
| Training fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $17K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 84% below the full-service restaurants norm.
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
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
$25K
9.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
4%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
24.1 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
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. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Little Kitchen Academy unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
4%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Little Kitchen Academy units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$111K
on $554K purchase
Total debt
$443K
SBA $0.3M + senior + seller note
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
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
- Avg gross sales
- $277K
- Per unit/yr · from the Item 19 franchised-cohort breakdown (no single system-wide average disclosed)
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
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 18 · small
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · typical
Compared against 805 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.5x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
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 $277K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.5x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% — above the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 3/10 — moderate disclosure depth. Average and range data are available but detailed cohort breakdowns may be limited. Sample size of 1 outlet — treat as directional only.
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 Little Kitchen Academy Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Turnover rate
- 33.3%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 50%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 3
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states 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.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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
Early-stage franchisor with minimal operating units, undisclosed profitability, and insufficient franchisee base for meaningful validation—investment viability cannot be assessed without Item 19 financials.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · AG LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 46 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 2 existing units with unknown growth trajectory suggests minimal track record and severe scalability concerns
- 02MED6% royalty on gross sales (not net) combined with non-disclosed profitability creates cash flow risk
- 03MEDExtremely limited franchisee base (2 units) makes validation difficult and indicates franchisor may be pre-revenue or in early survival mode
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% 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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| 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 | 15 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (mediation) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 29 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 19 hrs
- Training location
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Microsoft Office 365 Business
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Microsoft Office 365 Business
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
4 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Little Kitchen Academy · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Little Kitchen Academy franchise?
The total investment to open a Little Kitchen Academy franchise ranges from $409K – $747K, with an initial franchise fee of $65K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Little Kitchen Academy franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Little Kitchen Academy FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $277K. Important context: Based on a single outlet - not a system average. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Little Kitchen Academy 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 Little Kitchen Academy FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Little Kitchen Academy's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Little Kitchen Academy (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 Little Kitchen Academy franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Little Kitchen Academy has 6 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 3 company-owned units.
Is Little Kitchen Academy a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Little Kitchen Academy as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 46 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
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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.