Main Squeeze Juice Co. Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data
34/100
Fourth tier
34 this brand51 Quick-Service Restaurants medianlikely 28–40: narrower with more SBA loans (high confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#2,882 of 3,068 graded brands
Why a D: Helped by transparency. Held back by unit economics, unit growth and scale. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $427K – $657K
- Avg gross sales
- $366K
- “All Qualifying Outlets”, 19 outlets; not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (7)
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD
Per the 2026 FDD, a Main Squeeze Juice Co. franchise requires a total initial investment of $427K – $657K, including a $50K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 6.0%. Per the 2026 FDD, average gross sales were $366K (Item 19 group “All Qualifying Outlets”, 19 outlets; gross sales, not profit). Verdict grade: D (Fourth tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2026 FDD · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)
Evidence for the headline figures: 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 scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Quick-Service Restaurants median
Top edge: green = better than the Quick-Service Restaurants median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSAverage gross sales of $366K/year (outlet median $415K; Item 19 group “All Qualifying Outlets”, 19 outlets; gross sales, not profit).
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets fell by 5 (1 opened, 6 closed).
- DECLINE-9 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (32 to 23, -28.1% in total, -15.2% a year compounded). Ask whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $70K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $108K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $433K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (4)
- Net -5 franchised outlets in 2025 (Item 20, outlet counts). Ask owners why outlets closed.
- 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).
- Item 15 (owner participation) requires the owner, or a principal the franchisor approves, to run the business day to day. Ask how much of the business that principal must own.
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no pending lawsuit naming the franchisor and the full filing on file, and an Item 19 average from 19 units. Not on file here, so ask: SBA charge-off rate against the category median and jury-trial waiver.
What to do next
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.
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.
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.
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 11% above the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($487K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC (Item 1: 16220 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 300, Scottsdale, Arizona 85254) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown23 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $49.5K | $49.5K | |
| Initial Training Fee | $5K | $10K | |
| Training Expenses | $2.5K | $4.5K | |
| Real Estate Management Fee | $5K | $5K | |
| Project Management Fee | $15K | $15K | |
| Site Survey | $2K | $3K | |
| Lease Deposit & Rent 7 (3 months) | $14K | $24K | |
| Architect Fees | $9.85K | $19K | |
| Construction & Leasehold Improvements | $150K | $254K | |
| Exterior Signage | $4K | $15K | |
| Technology Systems | $12.5K | $17K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $94.2K | $141K | |
| Graphics & Marketing Material | $5.5K | $8.5K | |
| Opening Inventory | $6K | $13.5K | |
| Packaging and Supplies | $6K | $8K | |
| Food Safety / First Aid | $1K | $2K | |
| Preopening Marketing & Public Relations Fee | $25K | $30K | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $1.5K | $3.5K | |
| Utility Deposits | $500 | $1.5K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $1K | $2K | |
| Total initial investment | $427K | $657K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology feesUp to 1% of Gross Sales plus $600 per month (currently 1% of Gross Sales plus applicable text message fees). | See the list |
| Training feeAdditional training charge listed in Item 6 | $10,000 |
| Transfer fee | $37,125 |
| Renewal fee | $24,750 |
| Total fee loadabove the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.0% (heavy) | 8.0% of sales |
What do units actually make?
Average gross sales are 61% below the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($950K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Main Squeeze Juice Co. unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
Average gross sales are $366K (FDD p.46), and the royalty and ad fund take about $29K of that a year (Item 6). 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. So this box does not estimate a profit. To cover the loan payment alone, one unit has to clear $70K a year after its food, labor, rent and other costs and the franchisor's fees.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $542K Item 7 midpoint is a $433K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $70K 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 $108K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $542K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $433K.
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
One unit
One unit: what is left after the loan payment
Gross sales, minus the franchisor's fees and the operating costs, is the unit's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Minus an assumed loan payment, that is what is left for you, before tax. Gross sales are not profit.
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. Invested capital is the Item 7 total, which already includes its working-capital (additional funds) line.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Main Squeeze Juice Co. unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Item 19: $365,908 average for 19 outlets (All Qualifying Outlets). Use a figure for outlets like yours if yours differ.
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
The filing also sets a minimum or cap on these fees: “Brand Fund Fee 2% of Gross Sales; separately, In-House Marketing Fee $500/month plus Advertising Costs; Local Marketing Commitment greater of $1,500/month or 2% of Gross Sales (2% of Gross Sales after first 12 months)” (Item 6). This model applies the percentages, so at low sales the real fee can be higher than shown here.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $427K to $657K
Item 7's $15K to $25K additional funds are already in the total
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 COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $433K 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.
Buying several existing units? The acquisition scenario
Buying several units
What buying a few existing units could return
Prices an existing operator of a few units off the single-unit EBITDA above, after shared services, and finances it with an SBA 7(a) loan, a conventional loan and a seller note. It shows the yearly return on your cash (IRR), whether year-1 earnings cover the loan payments (DSCR) and how the price is paid for. It starts at 5 units; every deal term is an assumption you can change, and none is from the FDD.
Not modelled yet
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
This scenario starts from a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in the one-unit model above and it runs on that figure, or take it to the full ROI workbench, where the multi-unit and acquisition models accept your own per-unit economics.
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 Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC
Financial performance
- Range (low → high)
- $71K→$626KSource: 2026 FDD, page 46
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Top and bottom 25%
- $175K→$556K
- Bottom group → top group: the top and bottom 25% as the filing reports them
Percentile ranks within Quick-Service Restaurants
Each rank is among the Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report that figure (the count is under each bar).
Average gross sales are only 0.7x the investment midpoint, so recouping the initial outlay is likely to take years even at strong margins. Gross sales are not profit.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Main Squeeze Juice Co. compares
Category median of published Quick-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.
Who are you contracting with?
Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC, owned by Main Squeeze Juice Holdings, LLC.
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Main Squeeze Juice Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- Main Squeeze Juice Company, LLC (MSJC); Main Squeeze Juice Company Franchise, LLC (later renamed Squeeze Holdings, LLC)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Jennifer Dodd
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 16220 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 300, Scottsdale, Arizona 85254
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.8M
- latest fiscal year in the 2026 FDD
Overview
About
Retail store selling vegetable and fruit juices, smoothies, cleanses, acai bowls and other health-centric snacks and foods, plus branded merchandise; some Stores offer drive-thru service; smaller-format "Satellite Stores" also available for multi-unit operators.
- CEO
- Jennifer Dodd
- States and territories listed
- 5
- registered or offered in, as the filing lists them (DC and territories included); not where units may open
Is the system healthy?
-9 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (32 to 23, -28.1% in total, -15.2% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 rates and pipeline
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 15
- 0.65 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units fell from 32 in 2023 to 23 in 2025
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Government records
SBA loan data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 7 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Loans on file
- 7
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $2.0M
- Average loan
- $290K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (7)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 7 loans, rate hidden below 10
- Paid in full
- Under 10 loans (7)
- Recent-loan charge-off
- Under 10 loans (7)
- Lenders
- 5
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What are the risks?
Main risk: a shrinking system. Franchised outlets fell from 32 to 23 over the two years to 2025.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade D: Fourth tier, 34/100 (category median 51); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a D, factor by factor
- Financial health NeutralAudited financials; no going-concern doubt
- Unit economics Weighs on itAvg gross sales $366K on a $542K investment midpoint, 0.7x (gross sales, not profit)
- Unit growth Weighs on it, weakest dimension-9 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (32 to 23, -28.1% in total, -15.2% a year compounded); turnover 26.1%
- Scale Weighs on it23 franchised units; franchising since 2017; mostly company-owned (1% franchised)
- Legal Neutral1 matter naming the franchisor among the Item 3 matters we list (4.3 per 100 outlets)
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 discloses financial performance; audited financials
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Nautilus Food Company, LLC / Spencer Turner / Ronald Turner filed AAA arbitration in June 2024 alleging Florida Franchise Act violations, deceptive practices, misrepresentation, and breach of contract related to sale of 10 franchise agreements (seeking $2M+); franchisor terminated those agreements and filed a federal suit for breach of contract, trademark infringement, unfair competition, obtaining injunctive relief; parties settled in March 2025 with mutual release and $500,000 paid by franchisor's insurance carrier to claimants.
Largest disclosed settlement in the franchisor's own cases: $500,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
Ask what the franchisor earns on the supplies it sells you or the rebates it takes (Item 8).
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Franchisor takes supplier rebates: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Litigation case detail1 matter · Item 3
Litigation cases
The franchisor
Concluded (1)
Nautilus Food Company, LLC, et al. v. Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC, et al. (AAA); Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC et al. v. Nautilus Food Company LLC, et al.
settledBrought by a franchisee · filed 2024-06-19 · American Arbitration Association; U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida · AAA 01-24-0006-0617; 3:25-cv-00061-TJC-LLL
“Nautilus Food Company, LLC, et al. v. Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC, et al., American Arbitration Association, Case No. 01-24-0006-0617;”Page 11 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “our insurance carrier agreed to pay $500,000 to”
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
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 renewals | 1 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Online sales rights | Reserved by franchisor |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | The owner, or a principal the franchisor approves, must run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Curable defaults | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Delaware |
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 20 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- Mandeville, Louisiana (corporate training Store)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee, with assistance from franchisor-designated real estate company; franchisor must approve site
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
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 Main Squeeze Juice Co. franchise?
Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a Main Squeeze Juice Co. franchise ranges from $427K to $657K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. 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 Main Squeeze Juice Co. franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Main Squeeze Juice Co. FDD, average gross sales were $366K (Item 19 group “All Qualifying Outlets”, 19 outlets; gross sales, not profit). The median is $415K. What an owner keeps depends on location, operating costs and management.
Who owns Main Squeeze Juice Co.?
Main Squeeze Juice Co. is franchised by Main Squeeze Juice Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Main Squeeze Juice Holdings, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Main Squeeze Juice Co. 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 Main Squeeze Juice Co. FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Main Squeeze Juice Co.'s franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate, and Main Squeeze Juice Co. 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.
How many Main Squeeze Juice Co. franchise locations are there?
Per the 2026 FDD, Main Squeeze Juice Co. has 23 franchised units and 0 company-owned (23 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets fell by 5 (1 opened, 6 closed).
Is Main Squeeze Juice Co. a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Main Squeeze Juice Co. a D Verdict grade (Fourth tier) with a verdict score of 34 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by transparency. Held back by unit economics (avg gross sales $366K on a $542K investment midpoint, 0.7x: gross sales, not profit), unit growth and scale. The “Why a D” 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.