PopbarFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Popbar franchise requires a total initial investment of $217K – $461K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $217K – $461K
- 37th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 16
- 43rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-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
The system contracted 25% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $217K – $461K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% 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.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Pop Bar Franchising LLC
- Incorporated in
- NY
- HQ
- 15 West 38th Street, New York, New York 10018
- Auditor
- Ira D. Ganzfried, CPA
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $422K
- vs $460K prior year
Overview
About
Popbar franchisees operate fast-casual gelato and sorbet dessert shops, selling hand-crafted frozen treats served on wooden sticks or in cups. Day-to-day operations include product production, customer service, inventory management, and location-based retail sales in shopping centers or high-traffic areas.
- CEO
- Reuben Ben Jehuda
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 2010
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 8
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing · 17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Rent - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $9K | $30K | |
| Security Deposits | $6K | $30K | |
| Leasehold Improvements, Furniturenot refundable | $60K | $120K | |
| Equipmentnot refundable | $70K | $100K | |
| POS Computer Systemnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Insurance - Three Monthsnot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Permits and Licensesnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $30K | |
| Shipping Costs for Proprietary Product Mixesnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Signage, Facadenot refundable | $3K | $20K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Layoutsnot refundable | $3K | $13K | |
| Layout Review Feenot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Travel Expenses for Trainingnot refundable | $1K | $4K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Additional Fundsnot refundable | $10K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $217K | $461K |
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
- $217K – $461K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $100 |
| Transfer fee | $35K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Popbar Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 16
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 31.3%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 94%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -25.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -21.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 25
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 75.0%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 31.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $438K
- Median loan
- $219K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Popbar's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 2 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Popbar exhibits high-risk characteristics with a collapsing unit base (-25% YoY), undisclosed financials, fraud-adjacent litigation, and questionable franchisor solvency—making it unsuitable for most franchise investors.
Litigation (Item 3)
Thoroughbred Foods II, LLC, Vishaal Desai and Sagar Leva v. Pop Bar Franchising LLC (Civil Action No. 22-CI-03343, Kentucky Fayette Circuit Court, filed 11/17/2022). Franchisees claimed franchise agreement was never executed and sought $42,500 fee refund based on unjust enrichment and fraud/misrepresentation. Settled 03/27/2023 for $17,500.
Largest disclosed settlement: $17,500
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ira D. Ganzfried, CPA
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 100 / 100 rating
- 01MED25% unit decline YoY (16 units) indicates system contraction and potential franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02HIGHLitigation involving fraud and unjust enrichment claims suggests franchisor-franchisee trust issues and possible operational/contractual problems
- 03MINORNo Item 19 (average revenue/profit disclosure) prevents validation of investment ROI claims
- 04HIGHGoing concern status is False, indicating potential financial instability at corporate level
- 05MINORHigh initial investment ($217k-$461k) combined with 6% royalty creates significant break-even pressure in declining system
- 06MINORSettlement of $17,500 (41% of claimed $42,500) suggests franchisor liability but weak legal position
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 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | New York City |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Thoroughbred Foods II, LLC, Vishaal Desai and Sagar Leva v. Pop Bar Franchising LLC (Civil Action No. 22-CI-03343, Kentucky Fayette Circuit Court, filed 11/17/2022). Franchisees claimed franchise agreement was never executed and sought $42,500 fee refund based on unjust enrichment and fraud/misrepresentation. Settled 03/27/2023 for $17,500.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 6 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 16 hrs
- Training location
- on-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
24 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Popbar · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Popbar franchise?
The total investment to open a Popbar franchise ranges from $217K – $461K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Popbar franchise owners earn?
Popbar 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 Popbar's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Popbar (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 Popbar franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Popbar has 16 total units in the United States, including 15 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Popbar a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Popbar 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.