Monkey Joe’sFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Monkey Joe’s franchise requires a total initial investment of $681K – $1.2M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 27.8% charge-off rate across 27 loans[1]. Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $681K – $1.2M
- 32nd pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 23rd pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 1st pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 14
- 23rd pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- 27.8%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Recreation & Entertainment 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
27.8% of SBA loans charged off across 27 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
The system contracted 18% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $681K – $1.2M including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% 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. SBA loan charge-off rate of 27.8% across 27 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Monkey Joe’s Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Big Game Brands, LLC
- CEO title
- President, Director of Operations, Brand Leader, Secretary
- Daryl Dollinger
- Incorporated in
- GA
- HQ
- 6090 Roswell Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30328
- Auditor
- Burns Herring, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $810K
- vs $411K prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2022
- Status as of 2022; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
Franchisees operate indoor children's play centers featuring climbing structures, slides, bounce houses, and interactive games. Day-to-day operations include facility management, staff supervision, birthday party/event hosting, membership sales, and maintenance of play equipment and safety standards.
- CEO
- Daryl Dollinger
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 2005
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 5
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee / Development Feenot refundable | $40K | $40K | |
| Rentnot refundable | $40K | $50K | |
| Security Depositnot refundable | $6K | $15K | |
| Real Estate and Improvementsnot refundable | $300K | $600K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses while Trainingnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Furnishings, Fixtures, Equipment and Decoratingnot refundable | $185K | $450K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $5K | $14K | |
| Technology Systemsnot refundable | $20K | $30K | |
| Grand Openingnot refundable | $15K | $18K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $25K | $40K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $10K | $24K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costsnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $15K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $681K | $1.3M |
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
- $681K – $1.2M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $290 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $40K |
| 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 Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Monkey Joe’s Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 14
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 21.4%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -17.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -57.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 21.4%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 21.4%
- Units that stopped operating
Last reporting year only, multi-year history not disclosed in this brand's FDD.
Item 20 · 13 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 27
- Loan volume
- $8.0M
- Median loan
- $298K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 27.8%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
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
- 19
- Defaults
- 5
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Monkey Joe’s's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 10 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 10-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
A 27.8% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 4 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Monkey Joe's presents elevated risk due to significant unit decline, lack of financial disclosure, prior litigation involving fraudulent transfer allegations, and high capital requirement relative to system size and profitability opacity.
Litigation (Item 3)
Adversary Proceeding No. 12-05429 filed August 24, 2012 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Georgia. Bankruptcy Trustee sued affiliates, officers, and directors alleging fraudulent transfers, constructively fraudulent transfers, and wrongful distributions in connection with sale of S&Q Shack, LLC to Edmonds Capital Fund I, LLC. Claims include debt forgiveness and improper distribution of sale proceeds. Case stayed pending completion of underlying bankruptcy litigation.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Two involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions filed by BV Retail, LLC: (1) Against S&Q Shack, LLC on March 19, 2009 (No. 09-67151, N.D. Georgia Atlanta Division) - placed into involuntary bankruptcy by order dated August 27, 2010; (2) Against Raving Brands, Inc. (RBI) on April 1, 2009 (No. 09-68410, N.D. Georgia Atlanta Division). Both S&Q Shack and RBI are affiliates of the franchisor. Martin Sprock, III and Daryl Dollinger, officers of the franchisor, were also officers of S&Q Shack.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Burns Herring, LLC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
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
- 01MINORSystem declining 17.6% YoY (14 units) indicates loss of franchisee confidence and market contraction
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (avg revenue/net income not disclosed) prevents ROI verification and raises transparency concerns
- 03HIGH2012 bankruptcy adversary proceedings involving franchisor with allegations of fraudulent transfers, though resolved in 2017, suggest prior financial/governance instability
- 04MEDHigh total investment ($681k-$1.24M) combined with undisclosed profitability creates significant downside risk without upside visibility
- 05MINORSmall unit count (14) limits system support infrastructure and indicates weak brand momentum/market demand
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 | 5 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 3 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Georgia |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Adversary Proceeding No. 12-05429 filed August 24, 2012 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Georgia. Bankruptcy Trustee sued affiliates, officers, and directors alleging fraudulent transfers, constructively fraudulent transfers, and wrongful distributions in connection with sale of S&Q Shack, LLC to Edmonds Capital Fund I, LLC. Claims include debt forgiveness and improper distribution of sale proceeds. Case stayed pending completion of underlying bankruptcy litigation.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 28 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- Aluvii
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Aluvii
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Monkey Joe’s · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Monkey Joe’s franchise?
The total investment to open a Monkey Joe’s franchise ranges from $681K – $1.2M, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Monkey Joe’s franchise owners earn?
Monkey Joe’s 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 Monkey Joe’s's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Monkey Joe’s has a charge-off rate of 27.8% across 27 loans, meaning 27.8% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Monkey Joe’s franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Monkey Joe’s has 14 total units in the United States.
Is Monkey Joe’s a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Monkey Joe’s 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.