Mooyah Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data
56/100
Second tier
56 this brand51 Quick-Service Restaurants medianlikely 52–60 (high confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#1,232 of 3,068 graded brands
Why a B: Helped by financial health, scale, legal record and transparency. Held back by unit growth. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $452K – $991K
- excl. site work
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- “All Traditional Franchised Restaurants”, 62 outlets; not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 23.3%
1 in 4 SBA 7(a) loans to Mooyah owners charged off (7 of 30 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); Quick-Service Restaurants median 17.6%. Loans approved FY2015–FY2017: 5 of 14 resolved loans charged off (35.7%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend.
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD
Per the 2026 FDD, a Mooyah franchise requires a total initial investment of $452K – $991K, excluding site work, including a $30K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 5.8%. Per the 2026 FDD, average gross sales were $1.1M (Item 19 group “All Traditional Franchised Restaurants”, 62 outlets; gross sales, not profit). SBA 7(a) loans show a 23.3% charge-off rate on 30 resolved loans. Verdict grade: B (Second tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2026 FDD · SBA 7(a) loan records (FOIA) · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)
Evidence for the headline figures: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Quick-Service Restaurants median
Top edge: green = better than the Quick-Service Restaurants median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSAverage gross sales of $1.1M/year (outlet median $1.0M; Item 19 group “All Traditional Franchised Restaurants”, 62 outlets; gross sales, not profit).
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 1 (8 opened, 7 left the franchised system, 1 of them bought back by the franchisor).
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $93K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $144K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $577K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (4)
- -2 franchised outlets over the two years to 2024 (Item 20, outlet counts). Ask owners why outlets closed.
- SBA 7(a) charge-off 23.3% on 30 resolved loans, loans approved since FY1991, above the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 17.6% (175 brands).
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
- The franchisor receives rebates or payments from suppliers you buy from (Item 8, required suppliers).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no lawsuit naming the franchisor in Item 3, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file, and an Item 19 average from 62 units. Not on file here, so ask: jury-trial waiver.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match, or the lenders already lending to this brand in the SBA section. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 48% above the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($487K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask MOOYAH Franchising LLC (Item 1: 5412 W. Plano Pkwy., Suite 100, Plano, Texas 75093) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $30K | |
| New Restaurant Marketing Program Fee | $10K | $10K | |
| One-Time Extension Fee of Possession Deadline | $0 | $1K | |
| Rent and Security Deposit | $7K | $10.6K | |
| Leasehold - Improvements | $100K | $470.5K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, and Signage | $200K | $293K | |
| Initial Training Costs | $12K | $20K | |
| Computer Hardware and Software | $30K | $35K | |
| Initial Inventory/ Supplies | $20K | $25K | |
| Uniforms | $750 | $1K | |
| Professional Services | $1K | $5.5K | |
| Insurance | $600 | $3K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $700 | $6K | |
| Additional Funds – for initial 3-month period | $40K | $80K | |
| Total initial investment | $452K | $991K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.8% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fundBrand-wide marketing pool. 2.75% of Gross Sales, may increase to a maximum of 4% (Advertising Fee Cap) upon 60 days notice | 2.8% of gross sales |
| Technology feeTechnology and Support Fee of $170 per month, may increase up to $750 per year on a compounding basis | $170/month |
| Transfer fee | $20,000 |
| Renewal fee | $5,000 |
| Total fee loadabove the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.0% (heavy) | 8.5% of sales |
What do units actually make?
Average gross sales are 18% above the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($950K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Mooyah unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
Average gross sales are $1.1M (FDD p.45), and the royalty and ad fund take about $95K of that a year (Item 6). This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. So this box does not estimate a profit. To cover the loan payment alone, one unit has to clear $93K a year after its food, labor, rent and other costs and the franchisor's fees.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $721K Item 7 midpoint is a $577K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $93K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours. Mooyah's past SBA 7(a) loans averaged 7.0% at approval; 7(a) rates move with the prime rate, so 10.5% is a current-rate assumption, not this brand's history.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $144K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $721K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $577K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
One unit
One unit: what is left after the loan payment
Gross sales, minus the franchisor's fees and the operating costs, is the unit's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Minus an assumed loan payment, that is what is left for you, before tax. Gross sales are not profit.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. Invested capital is the Item 7 total, which already includes its working-capital (additional funds) line.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Mooyah unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Item 19: $1,118,334 average for 62 outlets (All Traditional Franchised Restaurants). Use a figure for outlets like yours if yours differ.
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
The filing also sets a minimum or cap on these fees: “2.75% of Gross Sales, may increase to a maximum of 4% (Advertising Fee Cap) upon 60 days notice” (Item 6). This model applies the percentages, so at low sales the real fee can be higher than shown here.
Item 6, as stored, a year. A fixed fee, so it comes off EBITDA as dollars, not a share of sales.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
Illustrative category typicals, not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Item 7 midpoint of $452K to $991K
Item 7's $40K to $80K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $577K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
Buying several existing units? The acquisition scenario
Buying several units
What buying a few existing units could return
Prices an existing operator of a few units off the single-unit EBITDA above, after shared services, and finances it with an SBA 7(a) loan, a conventional loan and a seller note. It shows the yearly return on your cash (IRR), whether year-1 earnings cover the loan payments (DSCR) and how the price is paid for. It starts at 5 units; every deal term is an assumption you can change, and none is from the FDD.
Not modelled yet
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
This scenario starts from a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in the one-unit model above and it runs on that figure, or take it to the full ROI workbench, where the multi-unit and acquisition models accept your own per-unit economics.
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 · filed by MOOYAH Franchising LLC
Financial performance
- Range (low → high)
- $378K→$2.4MSource: 2026 FDD, page 45
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Top and bottom 25%
- $704K→$1.7M
- Bottom group → top group: the top and bottom 25% as the filing reports them
Percentile ranks within Quick-Service Restaurants
Each rank is among the Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report that figure (the count is under each bar).
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Mooyah compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Who are you contracting with?
MOOYAH Franchising LLC, owned by MOOYAH Parent LLC.
Item 21 (audited financials) · audited statements · 2026 FDD
The franchisor's own finances
The franchisor paid out 27% of its latest net income as dividends. A franchisor that keeps little of its own profit has less of a cushion if the system has a bad year; ask how support and the ad fund are funded.
The figures, with their pages
- Net income
- $477Klatest year · FDD Item 21
- Dividends paid
- $131K27% of net income (our arithmetic) · FDD p.157
- Total assets
- $5.3MFDD Item 21
- Equity
- $3.1MFDD Item 21
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- MOOYAH Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- MOOYAH Parent LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Ba La Brands, LLC (owned by Balmoral Funds LLC and Gala Capital Partners, LLC)
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- MOOYAH Franchise LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chairman
- Anand Gala
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 5412 W. Plano Pkwy., Suite 100, Plano, Texas 75093
- Auditor
- Baker Tilly US, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $7.4M
- latest fiscal year in the 2026 FDD; $7.2M the year before
Overview
About
Fast casual restaurants offering high-quality hamburgers, other sandwiches, French fries, shakes, and related food and beverage items under the MOOYAH brand
- CEO
- Anand Gala
Is the system healthy?
-2 franchised outlets over the two years to 2024 (74 to 72, -2.7% in total, -1.4% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 95%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 rates and pipeline
- Reacquired
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 6
- 1 for every 13 open outlets · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units fell from 74 in 2023 to 72 in 2025
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Item 20 (outlet counts) outlets · 21 states
Where current outlets are
States with at least one current outlet in the Item 20 list the franchisor prints. Former owners are not counted, and this is not a list of where the franchisor may sell new units.
Current outlets (count on the tile) · 21 statesNo current outlet
66 current outlets in 21 states: the 66 on the owner list, of 72 franchised at year end (Item 20).
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. The contact details are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
Government records
SBA loan data
Lenders charged off 23.3% of 30 resolved SBA 7(a) loans, above the 17.6% category median. 7(a) is the SBA's main small-business loan; a resolved loan was paid in full or charged off.
- Loans on file
- 54
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $24.1M
- Average loan
- $446K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- 23.3%
- 7 of 30 resolved loans
- Paid in full
- 76.7%
- of resolved loans
- Charge-off, loans approved FY2015–FY2017
- 35.7%
- 5 of 14 resolved loans; newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend
- Lenders
- 28
- Average interest rate
- 7.0%
- Jobs reported
- 606
- Lender concentration
- 18%
- top lender's share
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Benchmark: the median Quick-Service Restaurants brand charges off 17.6% (175 brands with a published rate, same cumulative window and source). This brand is 5.7 points above it.
The approval-year breakdown covers 23 of the 30 resolved loans and 6 of the 7 charge-offs (FY2012 to FY2017).
SBA 7(a) · charge-off rate by approval year
Mooyah charge-off rate by loan approval year
None of these 5 approval years has 10 or more resolved loans, too few to draw a trend. Each year’s numbers are in the table below.
Show the numbers by year
| Year | Resolved | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | Too few |
| 2013 | 5 | 1 | Too few |
| 2015 | 5 | 3 | Too few |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | Too few |
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | Too few |
Source and method
Top lenders financing Mooyah franchisees Each lender’s rate counts only its own resolved loans; a 0.0% often means few of that lender’s loans have been resolved, not that none will fail. A lender with fewer than 10 resolved loans reads “Too few”.
Showing 3 of 28 lenders. The full SBA lending report below lists the top 10 by loan count, with states and the yearly trend.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
A 23.3% charge-off rate means about 1 in 4 resolved SBA 7(a) loans to this brand was charged off. The approval-year chart above shows which years they came from.
What are the risks?
Main risk: a shrinking system. Franchised outlets fell from 74 to 72 over the two years to 2024.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade B: Second tier, 56/100 (category median 51); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a B, factor by factor
- Financial health HelpsAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive
- Unit economics NeutralAvg gross sales $1.1M on a $721K investment midpoint, 1.6x (gross sales, not profit)
- Unit growth Weighs on it, weakest dimension-2 franchised outlets over the two years to 2024 (74 to 72, -2.7% in total, -1.4% a year compounded); turnover 9.2%
- Scale Helps72 franchised units, +4 company-owned (76 in all); franchising since 2006
- Legal HelpsNo litigation naming the franchisor in Item 3
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 discloses financial performance; audited financials
- Adjustments after the six dimensions (-15 points)SBA loan record: the SBA charge-off rate (23.3% on 30 resolved loans) is between 20% and 50%, a range the score counts against a brand, so it took 15 points off. The score uses fixed ranges, not the category median, so a rate below its category median can still cost points.
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Baker Tilly US, LLP
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
Ask what the franchisor earns on the supplies it sells you or the rebates it takes (Item 8).
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Franchisor takes supplier rebates: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 2 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | A manager may run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Within 50 miles of franchisor's then-current place of business (currently Plano, Texas) |
| Governing law | Texas |
Items 5 (initial fees), 7 (startup costs), 12 (territory) and 20 (outlet counts) · development agreement
Area development (several units)
A development fee of $15,000 per unit you commit to.
Every term, with its page
- Development fee
- $15,000 per unit committed.
2026 FDD p.19
“The Development Fee is $15,000 multiplied by the number of Franchise Agreements that you are obligated to acquire in order to satisfy the Minimum Performance Schedule.” - Signed, not yet open
- 6 franchises sold but not open at year end (Item 20, Table 5; see Growth). Ask how long they have been waiting and why.
Each unit still needs its own Item 7 investment on top of the development fee ($15K times the units you commit to). Have a franchise attorney read the schedule and the default terms before you sign.
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 26 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 175 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor headquarters (Plano, Texas) and/or a designated Restaurant, or virtually
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee (subject to franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Item 20 (outlet counts) · call current owners
Franchisee contacts
Who can you call before you sign?
66 current outlets listed
Each record has a phone number and state. No franchisee names or cities. 66 records. From the filing's Item 20 (the outlet list); the FDD itself is the free source. Our list covers 66 of the 72 franchised outlets Item 20 counts at year end; the owner exhibit prints the rest without a usable phone number, or omits them.
For your own due-diligence calls only. Not for telemarketing, marketing lists, or automated or prerecorded calls or texts.
The list is not offered for this brand yet. The FDD's Item 20 exhibit lists the owners.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Mooyah franchise?
Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a Mooyah franchise ranges from $452K to $991K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. The filing says these totals do not include site work.
What do Mooyah franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Mooyah FDD, average gross sales were $1.1M (Item 19 group “All Traditional Franchised Restaurants”, 62 outlets; gross sales, not profit). The median is $1.0M. What an owner keeps depends on location, operating costs and management.
Who owns Mooyah?
Mooyah is franchised by MOOYAH Franchising LLC. Its parent company is MOOYAH Parent LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Ba La Brands, LLC (owned by Balmoral Funds LLC and Gala Capital Partners, LLC). Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Mooyah 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 Mooyah FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Mooyah's franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate. What is measurable is Mooyah's SBA charge-off rate: 23.3% on 30 resolved loans. Put plainly: 1 in 4 SBA 7(a) loans to Mooyah owners charged off (7 of 30 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); loans approved FY2015–FY2017: 5 of 14 resolved loans charged off (35.7%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. A franchisee can repay and close, or default and keep trading.
How many Mooyah franchise locations are there?
Per the 2026 FDD, Mooyah has 72 franchised units and 4 company-owned (76 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 1 (8 opened, 7 left the franchised system, 1 of them bought back by the franchisor).
Is Mooyah a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Mooyah a B Verdict grade (Second tier) with a verdict score of 56 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by financial health (audited financials), scale, legal record and transparency. Held back by unit growth (-2 franchised outlets over the two years to 2024: 74 to 72, -2.7% in total, -1.4% a year compounded). The “Why a B” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.