Poki BowlFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Poki Bowl franchise requires a total initial investment of $188K – $423K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $441K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $188K – $423K
- 9th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $441K
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 17
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants 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
Franchised units fell from 14 to 4 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $188K – $423K including a $45K franchise fee, 5.5% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $441K/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 41/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- PB Asset Group, Inc.
- CEO title
- Founder, CEO
- Nick Nguyen
- CEO experience
- 13 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 4750 Almaden Expy, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95118
- Auditor
- REESE CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $235K
- vs $502K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate fast-casual poke bowl restaurants where customers select base proteins, toppings, and sauces customized to order. Day-to-day operations include food prep, inventory management, counter service, and maintaining food safety standards in a high-velocity QSR environment with seasonal ingredient sourcing pressures.
- CEO
- Nick Nguyen
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Architectural Feesnot refundable | $4K | $18K | |
| Real Estate Lease (3 months)not refundable | $12K | $18K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $60K | $210K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipmentnot refundable | $20K | $60K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $8K | $12K | |
| Licenses and Permitsnot refundable | $3K | $8K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $12K | |
| Travel Expenses While Trainingnot refundable | $500 | $3K | |
| Grand Opening Expensesnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Accountant and Legal Feesnot refundable | $750 | $2K | |
| Additional Fundsnot refundable | $20K | $30K | |
| Multi-Unit Development Feenot refundable | $120K | $180K | |
| Initial Investment for your Initial Franchised Business (Multi-Unit)not refundable | $143K | $378K | |
| Total initial investment | $451K | $981K |
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.
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
$51K
11.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
15%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $188K – $423K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
A 6.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $441K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 12 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $69K→$895K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 3 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Poki Bowl Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 17
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 82%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +75.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Projected new
- 14
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 5.9%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 5.9%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 5.9%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 7 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 7
- Loan volume
- $1.7M
- Median loan
- $316K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- 6
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Poki Bowl'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 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage poke bowl concept with shrinking unit base, pending fraud litigation, non-disclosure violations, going concern doubts, and missing profitability data presents elevated risk despite protected territory.
Litigation (Item 3)
Charlie Le vs. Nick Nguyen et al. (Case No. 20CV364201) - breach of contract, fraud, fiduciary duty claims, in discovery phase, settlement discussions underway. California Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation v. PB Asset Group, Inc. - Consent Order entered October 27, 2021 for failure to disclose pending litigation in franchise applications; $15,000 administrative fee, 8 hours remedial education required.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · REESE CPA 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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 41 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHPending litigation including fraud allegations and regulatory consent order regarding disclosure failures indicates governance and transparency issues at franchisor level
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 prevents ROI validation; average revenue of $441K may not support $187K-$423K investment range without profitability confirmation
- 03MINORUnit count dropped 25% YoY (from ~23 to 17 units), signaling potential system contraction, franchisee underperformance, or franchisor retention problems
- 04HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE, suggesting accountant doubts about franchisor's ability to continue operations and support existing franchisees
- 05MEDHigh investment range ($423K ceiling) combined with 5.5% royalty on undisclosed net margins creates unclear path to profitability within 10-year term
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 | 5 years |
| Territory type | Radius/Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Territory population | 30,000 |
| 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 | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Santa Clara County, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Charlie Le vs. Nick Nguyen et al. (Case No. 20CV364201) - breach of contract, fraud, fiduciary duty claims, in discovery phase, settlement discussions underway. California Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation v. PB Asset Group, Inc. - Consent Order entered October 27, 2021 for failure to disclose pending litigation in franchise applications; $15,000 administrative fee, 8 hours remedial education required.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 16 hrs
- Training location
- franchisee location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 12 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 8 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
26 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Poki Bowl · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Poki Bowl franchise?
The total investment to open a Poki Bowl franchise ranges from $188K – $423K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Poki Bowl franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Poki Bowl FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $441K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Poki Bowl's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Poki Bowl (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 Poki Bowl franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Poki Bowl has 17 total units in the United States, including 14 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Poki Bowl a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Poki Bowl as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 41 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.