PingPod Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
PingPod is a recreation franchise operating unattended, app-access indoor table tennis venues with bookable tables, lessons, and leagues. Franchisees run the pods, managing bookings, equipment, and memberships.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A PingPod franchise requires a total initial investment of $162K – $473K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $263K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $162K – $473K
- 27th pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $263K
- Company-owned only4th pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 10th pct Health & Fitn…
- Units
- 18
- 49th pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Health & Fitness 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 $162K – $473K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $263K/year (median $221K) (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 63/100 (higher is better).
- EARLYEmerging franchise: only 2 years of franchising with 18 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- PingPod Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- PingPod, Inc.
- CEO title
- Co-Chief Executive Officers
- David Silberman / Ernesto Ebuen
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 2025 Hudson Street, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024
- Auditor
- Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
- CEO
- David Silberman / Ernesto Ebuen
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 45% below the typical health & fitness franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown32 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Large Format)not refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Lease Review Fee (Large Format) | $1K | $1K | |
| E-2 Visa Fee (Large Format)not refundable | $0 | $15K | |
| Real Estate, Rent Deposits and Pre-Paid Expenses - 3 Months (Large Format) | $16K | $75K | |
| Architectural and Engineering (Large Format) | $9K | $20K | |
| Construction of Leasehold Improvements (Large Format) | $45K | $85K | |
| Signage (Large Format) | $10K | $20K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Decor and Equipment (Large Format) | $15K | $30K | |
| PodPlay Technologies Setup Fee (Large Format)not refundable | $19K | $28K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits (Large Format) | $1K | $5K | |
| Professional Fees (Large Format) | $2K | $5K | |
| Insurance - 3 Months (Large Format) | $2K | $8K | |
| Inventory and Supplies (Large Format) | $5K | $5K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training (Large Format) | $2K | $4K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising (Large Format) | $1K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (Large Format) | $30K | $120K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Small Format)not refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Lease Review Fee (Small Format) | $1K | $1K | |
| E-2 Visa Fee (Small Format)not refundable | $0 | $15K | |
| Real Estate, Rent Deposits and Pre-Paid Expenses - 3 Months (Small Format) | $10K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $368K | $794K |
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
- $162K – $473K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $120K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $12K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Inventory (initial) | $1K – $5K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 57% below the health & fitness norm.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Source: FDD 2026 · 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
$84K
32.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
21%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.7 yrs
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 PingPod unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
21%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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 PingPod units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.3M
on $6.6M purchase
Total debt
$5.3M
SBA $3.3M + 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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Avg gross sales
- $263K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $221K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Total Sales (Gross Revenues plus coach lesson payments) for Affiliated Pods only, unaudited
- Sample size
- 11 outlets
- vs category median 12
- Range (low → high)
- $94K→$675K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 173 Health & Fitness brands
Revenue is only 0.8x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
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 $263K/year in gross sales. Median is $221K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.8x. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% — below the Health & Fitness average of 8.4%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Multi-unit rate
Only 19% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 Health & Fitness averages
How PingPod Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 18
- Opened
- 6
- 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
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 33%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 18.8%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 6
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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.
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
PingPod presents elevated risk due to undisclosed net income, tiny franchise system, franchisor financial instability, complex dual-royalty model, and lack of transparent franchisee profitability data.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
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 63 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo average net income disclosed despite $263k average revenue — inability or unwillingness to report profitability is a major red flag
- 02MEDOnly 18 units with unknown growth trajectory — extremely small franchise system limits support infrastructure and suggests limited market validation
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False — indicates potential financial instability at franchisor level
- 04MINORDual royalty structure (6% + per-lesson fee of $7.50-$10) creates unpredictable cost burden and reduces transparency of true franchise costs
- 05MINOR10-year term with $49,500 franchise fee and $161.5k-$473k investment requires significant capital commitment for unproven concept with minimal franchisee success data
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% 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 | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 200,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Bergen County, New Jersey |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NJ |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 5 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor's location in the Tri-State (NY metropolitan) area, plus 2 days at franchisee location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 8 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Stripe
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Stripe
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
8 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
PingPod · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a PingPod franchise?
The total investment to open a PingPod franchise ranges from $162K – $473K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do PingPod franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the PingPod FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $263K. The median is $221K. 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 PingPod 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 PingPod FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is PingPod's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for PingPod (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 PingPod franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, PingPod has 18 total units in the United States, including 6 franchised units and 12 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is PingPod a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates PingPod as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 63 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.