Mensho Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Mensho is a ramen franchise, led by chef Tomoharu Shono, serving innovative farm-to-bowl ramen. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing broth and noodle production, staffing, and service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Mensho franchise requires a total initial investment of $578K – $3.5M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $578K – $3.5M
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 10
- 14th 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 $578K – $3.5M including a $30K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThe three PNG pages in this folder (p074-p076) are all from the Area Development Agreement exhibit (Exhibit A to the 2026 Mensho Franchise, Inc. FDD): a section cover page, the agreement title page, and the table of contents. No audited financial statements (Item 21), balance sheet, income statement, or Independent Auditor's Report are present in these images, so no financial figures or auditor could be extracted.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 49/100 (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
- Mensho Franchise, Inc.
- Parent company
- MENSHO, Inc. (Japanese corporation)
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
- Tomoharu Shono
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 672 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
- Auditor
- SKY ACCOUNTANCY CORPORATION
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $406K
- vs $922K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Tomoharu Shono
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 73% above the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Security Depositnot refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Training Feenot refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Lease Security Deposit, Rent (Pre-Opening Date Period), and other Payments under the lease for the Approved Location | $12K | $450K | |
| Deposits and payments for licenses and permits including security deposits (excluding lease security deposit), utility deposits, business licenses, and other pre-paid expenses | $3K | $5K | |
| Architects and Design | $10K | $50K | |
| Construction/Leasehold Improvements and Signs | $300K | $2.5M | |
| Equipment, Supplies, and Decor Package bought from Mensho TKnot refundable | $75K | $150K | |
| Furniture, Furnishings, Decor, Fixtures, Equipment, and Supplies bought from Third Parties | $25K | $50K | |
| Computer and Security Equipment | $10K | $21K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $10K | |
| Opening Proprietary Productsnot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Other Opening Inventory and Supplies (Non-Proprietary) | $9K | $18K | |
| Pre-Opening Labor | $31K | $75K | |
| Insurance | $4K | $7K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $5K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (Working Capital) | $35K | $55K | |
| Development Feenot refundable | $45K | $60K | |
| Business Plan Preparation/Professional Fees | $3K | $5K | |
| Total initial investment | $626K | $3.5M |
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
- $578K – $3.5M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $55K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $215 |
| Training fee | $15K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Inventory (initial) | $9K – $18K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Mensho 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 Mensho unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
4%
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
The three PNG pages in this folder (p074-p076) are all from the Area Development Agreement exhibit (Exhibit A to the 2026 Mensho Franchise, Inc. FDD): a section cover page, the agreement title page, and the table of contents. No audited financial statements (Item 21), balance sheet, income statement, or Independent Auditor's Report are present in these images, so no financial figures or auditor could be extracted.
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 6.0% — 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 Mensho Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 10
- Opened
- 5
- 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
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 60%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 5
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states 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.
2
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
Mensho is a high-growth but unproven early-stage franchise system with severe financial transparency gaps, going concern warnings, and insufficient unit maturity to validate business model viability.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · SKY ACCOUNTANCY CORPORATION
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 49 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORExplosive unit growth (500% YoY) suggests either aggressive expansion or unreliable reporting; only 10 units total indicates nascent system with unproven scalability
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial performance disclosure (Avg Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) prevents validation of profitability claims and return on investment
- 03MINORWide investment range ($578K–$3.46M) without corresponding revenue/profitability data creates opacity around ROI expectations and cost structure
- 04HIGHGoing Concern = False suggests franchisor financial stability concerns or accounting red flags requiring immediate clarification
- 05MEDExtremely young system (10 units) means limited franchisee track record, no long-term operational data, and higher failure risk for early adopters
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 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 | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | San Francisco, California (mediation required first, then litigation) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | CA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 9 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 163 hrs
- Training location
- California (franchisor-designated location) plus on-site at franchised restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee proposes, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
10 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Mensho · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Mensho franchise?
The total investment to open a Mensho franchise ranges from $578K – $3.5M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Mensho franchise owners earn?
Mensho 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 Mensho 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 Mensho FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Mensho's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Mensho (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 Mensho franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Mensho has 10 total units in the United States, including 6 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Mensho a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Mensho as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 49 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 Mensho, 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.