Mama’s MeatballFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Mama’s Meatball franchise requires a total initial investment of $312K – $524K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $312K – $524K
- 19th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Bottom line
- Total investment $312K – $524K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 87/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- MAMA’S MEATBALL FRANCHISE, LLC
- CEO title
- CEO
- Nicola Allegretta
- CEO experience
- 18 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 570 Higuera Street, Ste. 130, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Auditor
- SMITH, BUZZI & ASSOCIATES, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $21K
- vs $526K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate a meatball-focused restaurant or quick-service concept, likely preparing and selling meatball dishes (signature recipes, sandwiches, bowls). Day-to-day activities include food preparation, customer service, inventory management, staffing, and point-of-sale operations within a protected territory.
- CEO
- Nicola Allegretta
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 0
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 30 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model)not refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Traveling and Living Expenses while Training (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $3K | $8K | |
| Real Property Rent and Security Deposits (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $6K | $14K | |
| Leasehold Improvements (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $100K | $150K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Decor (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $25K | $30K | |
| Initial Inventory (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $16K | $18K | |
| Signage (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $7K | $8K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $10K | $20K | |
| Licenses, Permits, and Certifications (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $750 | $2K | |
| Insurance (3 Months) (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $1K | $3K | |
| Kitchen Equipment (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $60K | $80K | |
| TV, Cameras, and Other Supplies (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $8K | $15K | |
| Professional Fees (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $10K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) (Take-Out & Delivery Only Model) | $30K | $75K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Self-Serve Dine-In Model)not refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Traveling and Living Expenses while Training (Self-Serve Dine-In Model) | $5K | $8K | |
| Real Property Rent and Security Deposits (Self-Serve Dine-In Model) | $15K | $15K | |
| Leasehold Improvements (Self-Serve Dine-In Model) | $150K | $200K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Decor (Self-Serve Dine-In Model) | $25K | $33K | |
| Initial Inventory (Self-Serve Dine-In Model) | $18K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $848K | $1.2M |
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
- $312K – $524K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $75K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Mama’s Meatball Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 8.7%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 6 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.
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Mama's Meatball is a pre-revenue or near-failure franchise with only one operating unit, no financial transparency, and going concern issues—representing extreme execution risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
On February 23, 2015, Nicola and Jackeline Allegretta filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 13 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, Case No. 9:15-bk-10345-DS. Case was dismissed on April 20, 2020.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · SMITH, BUZZI & ASSOCIATES, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 87 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 1 unit in system indicates nascent/failing franchise with zero proven scalability or support infrastructure
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosures (avg revenue/net income) prevents validation of ROI claims and suggests franchisor may lack performance data
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial distress or operational instability at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($311.5K-$523.9K) relative to single-unit system creates disproportionate risk with no peer performance benchmarks
- 05MINORInability to validate if the 1 existing unit is profitable, franchisee-owned, or company-operated creates transparency gap
- 06MINOR10-year term locks franchisee into relationship with unproven business model and potential franchisor collapse
- 07MED5% royalty on undisclosed revenues means franchisee cannot model cash flow or break-even scenarios
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 |
| Territory type | radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 14 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 120 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Toast Homebase POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast Homebase POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
8 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Mama’s Meatball · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Mama’s Meatball franchise?
The total investment to open a Mama’s Meatball franchise ranges from $312K – $524K, 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 Mama’s Meatball franchise owners earn?
Mama’s Meatball 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 Mama’s Meatball's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Mama’s Meatball (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 Mama’s Meatball franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Mama’s Meatball has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Mama’s Meatball a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Mama’s Meatball as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 87 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.
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.