Maryland Blue Crab® Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Maryland Blue Crab is a seafood franchise serving blue crab and Chesapeake Bay-style dishes. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing the kitchen, service, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Maryland Blue Crab® franchise requires a total initial investment of $203K – $513K, including a $19K franchise fee and an ongoing 3.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $203K – $513K
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1 outlet
- Royalty
- 3.0%
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 1st 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 $203K – $513K including a $19K franchise fee, 3.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSDevelopment-stage franchisor (incorporated Oct 28, 2020); FY2021 audited statements show $0 total revenues and $0 net income; total assets $50,000 (cash $43,747 + start-up costs $6,253) funded entirely by additional paid-in capital.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 30/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- MD Blue Crab Franchising International, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- Predecessor
- MBCrab, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President/CEO
- Theron McCarthy III
- CEO experience
- 17 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- LA
- HQ
- 13055 West Main Street, Larose, Louisiana 70373
- Auditor
- Roger and Associates, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Theron McCarthy III
- Headquarters
- LA
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 69% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $19K | $19K | |
| Technologynot refundable | $6K | $23K | |
| Kitchen Equipment, Furniture and Fixturesnot refundable | $34K | $80K | |
| Real Estate | $11K | $20K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $25K | $160K | |
| Utilities | $2K | $3K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $7K | $14K | |
| Start Up Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Vehiclenot refundable | $0 | $10K | |
| Vehicle Graphicsnot refundable | $0 | $800 | |
| Grand Opening Marketingnot refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| Staffingnot refundable | $16K | $26K | |
| Uniformsnot refundable | $300 | $500 | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $5K | $12K | |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Training Programnot refundable | $4K | $6K | |
| Licenses, Permits, Certifications and other Professional Feesnot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds (3 Months)not refundable | $50K | $100K | |
| Total initial investment | $203K | $513K |
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
- $203K – $513K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $19K – $19K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 3.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 4.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 4.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Maryland Blue Crab® did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Maryland Blue Crab® unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
24%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
Development-stage franchisor (incorporated Oct 28, 2020); FY2021 audited statements show $0 total revenues and $0 net income; total assets $50,000 (cash $43,747 + start-up costs $6,253) funded entirely by additional paid-in capital.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 4.0% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Maryland Blue Crab® Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
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
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
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 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
Maryland Blue Crab presents extreme risk due to going concern status, single-unit system, undisclosed financials, and no Item 19 disclosure — a potentially failing franchisor unable to demonstrate unit profitability.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Roger and Associates, LLC
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 30 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates the franchisor may have serious financial viability issues
- 02MINOROnly 1 unit in system with unknown growth trajectory — signals potential market failure or brand stagnation
- 03MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (no Item 19) — impossible to assess ROI or validate investment claims
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($203K–$512K) relative to unknowable returns creates extreme financial risk for franchisee
- 05MINORSingle unit makes it impossible to validate business model or replicate success across territories
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 4.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 7 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 4 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 | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Lafourche Parish, Louisiana |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | LA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 51 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 131 hrs
- Training location
- Corporate headquarters in Larose, Louisiana
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, franchisor must approve
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Not specified
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Not specified
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Maryland Blue Crab® · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Maryland Blue Crab® franchise?
The total investment to open a Maryland Blue Crab® franchise ranges from $203K – $513K, with an initial franchise fee of $19K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Maryland Blue Crab® franchise owners earn?
Maryland Blue Crab® 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 Item 19 in the Maryland Blue Crab® 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 Maryland Blue Crab® FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Maryland Blue Crab®'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Maryland Blue Crab® (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 Maryland Blue Crab® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Maryland Blue Crab® has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Maryland Blue Crab® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Maryland Blue Crab® as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 30 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Maryland Blue Crab®, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.