Meraki Assisted Living Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Meraki Assisted Living is a senior care franchise operating small residential assisted living homes with personalized care. Franchisees run the care homes, managing caregiving staff, residents, and daily operations.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Meraki Assisted Living franchise requires a total initial investment of $129K – $222K, including a $75K franchise fee. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $919K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $129K – $222K
- 76th pct Senior Care
- Avg gross sales
- $919K
- Company-owned only10th pct Senior Care
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 7
- 28th pct Senior Care
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Senior Care · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Senior Care 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 $129K – $222K including a $75K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $919K/year (median $952K) (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 44/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Meraki Assisted Living LLC
- Parent company
- The Geneva Suites L.L.C.
- Predecessor
- The Geneva Suites L.L.C.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Scott Hemenway
- Incorporated in
- MN
- HQ
- 8100 Old Cedar Avenue South, Suite 105, Bloomington, MN 55425
- Auditor
- Frederick & Rosen, Ltd
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Scott Hemenway
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 32% below the typical senior care franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $75K | $75K | |
| Security Deposit, Down Payment (Leased Care Home) | $0 | $8K | |
| Security Deposit, Down Payment (Purchased Care Home) | $75K | $100K | |
| 3 Months' Rent, Mortgage Payment (Leased Care Home) | $5K | $12K | |
| 3 Months' Rent, Mortgage Payment (Purchased Care Home) | $15K | $24K | |
| Care Home Improvements (Leased Care Home) | $0 | $25K | |
| Care Home Improvements (Purchased Care Home) | $175K | $350K | |
| Signage | $0 | $500 | |
| Furniture | $15K | $25K | |
| Office Equipment, Supplies, and Computer System | $2K | $5K | |
| Training Expenses | $810 | $2K | |
| Business Licensesnot refundable | $500 | $1K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $3K | |
| Insurance | $750 | $1K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $19K | $53K | |
| Total initial investment | $384K | $684K |
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
- $129K – $222K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $19K – $53K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K – $75K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of $500 per Care Home or 7% of Gross Revenue,…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $75 |
| Transfer fee | $56K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 37% below the senior care norm.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$156K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
74%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
16 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Meraki Assisted Living unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
74%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Meraki Assisted Living units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.8M
on $9.2M purchase
Total debt
$7.3M
SBA $4.6M + senior + seller note
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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Avg gross sales
- $919K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $952K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross revenue and gross profit
- Sample size
- 7 outlets
- vs category median 22 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $715K→$1.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2023
- Disclosed in the 2023 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 79 Senior Care brands
Revenue is 5.2x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $919K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 5.2x. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% — above the Senior Care average of 7.7%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 6/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
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 Senior Care averages
How Meraki Assisted Living Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 7
- 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
- 7
- 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
- 2
- 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
Meraki Assisted Living presents HIGH RISK due to franchisor going concern warnings, undisclosed profitability metrics, minimal franchise system size, and complex senior care regulatory requirements masking operational and financial opacity.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Largest disclosed settlement: $75,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
S. Hemenway, Inc. (entity of CEO Scott Hemenway) filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy May 2, 2016, Case No. 16-31466-KAC; closed and discharged June 13, 2017; sold January 2018.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Frederick & Rosen, Ltd
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 44 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates franchisor financial distress or viability questions
- 02MINOROnly 7 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — extremely small and potentially stagnant network
- 03MEDNet Income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 — cannot verify actual profitability claims against $918k average revenue
- 04MINORHigh royalty burden at 7% of revenue PLUS $500/unit minimum creates dual fee pressure on thin-margin senior care business
- 05MED10-year term with no disclosed unit growth — raises sustainability and franchisee exit concerns
- 06MINORAssisted living is highly regulated, labor-intensive business with significant liability exposure — not addressed in provided data
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 10,000 |
| 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 | No |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Hennepin County, Minnesota |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | varies by franchisee state (disputes in Hennepin County, MN) |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 53 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 2 hrs
- Training location
- Bloomington, MN (franchisor headquarters or designated location)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Eldermark Senior Housing software; ClearCare scheduling software; QuickBooks; Microsoft 365
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Eldermark Senior Housing software; ClearCare scheduling software; QuickBooks; Microsoft 365
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Meraki Assisted Living franchise?
The total investment to open a Meraki Assisted Living franchise ranges from $129K – $222K, with an initial franchise fee of $75K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Meraki Assisted Living franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Meraki Assisted Living FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $919K. The median is $952K. Important context: Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Meraki Assisted Living 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 Meraki Assisted Living FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Meraki Assisted Living's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Meraki Assisted Living (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 Meraki Assisted Living franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Meraki Assisted Living has 7 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 7 company-owned units.
Is Meraki Assisted Living a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Meraki Assisted Living as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 44 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
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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.