Monster Mini GolfFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A MONSTER MINI GOLF franchise requires a total initial investment of $885K – $2.2M, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 33.3% charge-off rate across 29 loans[1]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $885K – $2.2M
- 34th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 16th pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 18th pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 28
- 29th pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- 33.3%
- 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
At 0.7x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
33.3% of SBA loans charged off across 29 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Franchised units fell from 25 to 20 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
17% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Within the 15-30% range most franchise investors consider acceptable.
Bottom line
- Total investment $885K – $2.2M including a $60K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.1M/year (median $1.1M), with an estimated 17% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 68/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 33.3% across 29 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System growing at 25.0% CAGR over 3 years with 28 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- MONSTER ENTERTAINMENT, LLC
- Parent company
- Multiplying Monsters Corp.
- Incorporated in
- NV
- HQ
- 230 East W.T. Harris Blvd. Suite C-4, Charlotte, NC 28262
- Auditor
- Otrando, Porcaro & Associates, Ltd.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.0M
- vs $2.0M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate themed indoor mini-golf facilities with arcade games, food/beverage service, and party/event hosting. Day-to-day operations include customer service, staff scheduling, maintenance of courses and equipment, inventory management, promotional marketing, and event booking coordination.
- CEO
- Christopher Larry King
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2005
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $795K | $2.0M |
| Total initial investment | $885K | $2.2M |
Source: MONSTER MINI GOLF 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$155K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
10.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $885K – $2.2M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $60K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 6.1 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.1M
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $251K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 16.5%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Revenue and Expense Data
- Sample size
- 25 units
- vs category median 5 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $371K→$2.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 176 Recreation & Entertainment brands
Revenue is only 0.7x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Monster Mini Golf Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 28
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 89%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +4.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +25.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 18 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
- 29
- Loan volume
- $25.8M
- Median loan
- $457K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 33.3%
- 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)
- 66.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 50.0%
- 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 Monster Mini Golf's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 14 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 15-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 33.3% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Stagnant franchise system with high capital requirements, opaque financial claims, and secular headwinds in entertainment venues; suitable only for operators with strong local market knowledge and capital reserves.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Otrando, Porcaro & Associates, Ltd.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 68 / 100 rating
- 01MINORMinimal unit growth (4.2% YoY) suggests mature/stagnant system with only ~1 net new location annually across 28 units
- 02HIGHNo Item 19 financial performance representation (Going Concern = False) limits transparency on actual franchisee profitability claims
- 03MINORHigh initial investment range ($885K-$2.1M) against modest average net income ($251K) yields 3.5-8.8 year payback with no guarantee of reaching averages
- 04MINOR7% royalty on gross sales reduces net margins significantly; break-even analysis unclear for underperforming locations
- 05MINORSeasonal entertainment venue vulnerability—mini golf highly dependent on foot traffic, weather, and local competition
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | Radius/Geographic Area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 36 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 64 hrs
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
32 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
MONSTER MINI GOLF · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a MONSTER MINI GOLF franchise?
The total investment to open a MONSTER MINI GOLF franchise ranges from $885K – $2.2M, 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 MONSTER MINI GOLF franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the MONSTER MINI GOLF FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. The median is $1.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is MONSTER MINI GOLF's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, MONSTER MINI GOLF has a charge-off rate of 33.3% across 29 loans, meaning 33.3% 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 MONSTER MINI GOLF franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, MONSTER MINI GOLF has 28 total units in the United States, including 25 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is MONSTER MINI GOLF a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates MONSTER MINI GOLF as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 68 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.