MatchboxFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Matchbox franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.1M – $2.3M, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 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 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.1M – $2.3M
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 13
- 24th 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 $1.1M – $2.3M including a $60K franchise fee, 6.0% 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 100/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Thompson Matchbox Ventures, LLC
- CEO title
- Director
- Warren M. Thompson
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 1741 Business Center Drive, Suite 200, Reston, Virginia 20190
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $86K
- vs $83K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Matchbox appears to be a venue-based or experiential franchise (likely event space, gaming, entertainment, or hospitality). Franchisees likely manage daily operations including customer service, inventory/equipment management, staff scheduling, marketing, and revenue generation from events, memberships, or ticket sales.
- CEO
- Warren M. Thompson
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Travel Expenses to Attend Training | $1K | $10K | |
| Rent | $35K | $75K | |
| Build-Out/Construction | $788K | $1.6M | |
| Fixture Package | $100K | $300K | |
| Initial Inventory | $20K | $30K | |
| Signage | $10K | $30K | |
| Computer Hardware, Software, and POS System | $8K | $18K | |
| Insurance | $5K | $10K | |
| Licenses, Permits | $5K | $8K | |
| Grand Opening Campaign | $5K | $20K | |
| Legal & Accounting | $4K | $8K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $10K | $15K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $50K | $100K | |
| Development Fee | $90K | $150K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.2M | $2.5M |
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
- $1.1M – $2.3M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $25 |
| Total fee load | 7.0% 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 Matchbox Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 13
- 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
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 8%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 7.7%
- Units that stopped operating
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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $300K
- Median loan
- $300K
- 50th percentile
- 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
- 1
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Matchbox's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Matchbox presents HIGH RISK due to going concern status, minimal unit count, absence of earnings disclosure, and inability to validate ROI on a seven-figure investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information provided in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Matchbox Food Group, LLC (predecessor/MFG) filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on August 3, 2020 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Maryland (Greenbelt), Case #20-17250. Plan of Liquidation confirmed December 21, 2020, entered March 9, 2021, effective March 18, 2021.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 100 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern warning indicates potential franchisor financial distress or viability questions
- 02MEDOnly 13 units system-wide suggests minimal scale, limited support infrastructure, and high failure risk
- 03MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation and raises transparency concerns
- 04MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory suggests stagnation or contraction in recent years
- 05MEDHigh initial investment range ($1.1M–$2.3M) paired with undisclosed earnings creates extreme uncertainty on payback period
- 06MED6% royalty on non-disclosed revenue baseline makes financial planning impossible for prospective franchisees
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory radius | 0.3 mi |
| 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 | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information provided in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 148 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Matchbox · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Matchbox franchise?
The total investment to open a Matchbox franchise ranges from $1.1M – $2.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Matchbox franchise owners earn?
Matchbox 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 Matchbox's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Matchbox (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 Matchbox franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Matchbox has 13 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 12 company-owned units.
Is Matchbox a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Matchbox as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 100 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.
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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.