Maryland Blue Crab®Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $203K – $513K
- 10th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 3.0%
- 1st 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 $203K – $513K including a $19K franchise fee, 3.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 66/100.
- No 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
- Legal entity
- MD Blue Crab Franchising International, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- President
- 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
Maryland Blue Crab franchisees operate casual dining establishments or seafood retail locations specializing in blue crab and regional Chesapeake Bay cuisine. Daily operations likely include food preparation, inventory management, customer service, and adherence to recipes and brand standards. The business model appears regionally focused on Maryland/Mid-Atlantic markets.
- CEO
- Theron McCarthy III
- Headquarters
- LA
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing · 17 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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $19K – $19K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 3.0%
- Gross Revenues · 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 |
| Total fee load | 4.0% 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 Maryland Blue Crab® 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
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 · 3 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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
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 66 / 100 rating
- 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 7 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| 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 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Louisiana |
| 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
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Not specified
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Not specified
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
4 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 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 C-grade franchise with a risk score of 66 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.