Saladworks Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Saladworks is a fast-casual franchise serving build-your-own salads, wraps, and grain bowls from fresh ingredients. Franchisees run restaurants managing prep, assembly-line service, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SALADWORKS franchise requires a total initial investment of $484K – $678K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 31.4% charge-off rate across 149 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $484K – $678K
- 75th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Net sales
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 84
- 74th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 31.4%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants 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 $484K – $678K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 31.4% across 149 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Saladworks, LLC
- Parent company
- Restaurant Co., LLC dba WOWorks
- Ultimate parent
- CLP Dining, LLC
- Predecessor
- Saladworks, LLC (DE) / SW Liquidation, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Bryan Kelly Roddy
- Incorporated in
- Illinois
- HQ
- 3135 1st Avenue N., Suite 15459, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33733
- Auditor
- Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $32.1M
- vs $34.8M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- and has not offered franchises in any line of business
- an additional fee
- has operated a business of the type being franchised s
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Bryan Kelly Roddy
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 20
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 12% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $35K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $434K | $608K |
| Total initial investment | $484K | $678K |
Source: SALADWORKS 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $484K – $678K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $9K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
SALADWORKS did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one SALADWORKS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
16%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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
Reported as net sales, not gross sales
- Item 19 type
- net sales
- Sample size
- 76
- vs category median 20 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $241K→$2.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $429K→$1.1M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- 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 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
System contracting at -11.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Saladworks Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 84
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 9
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.6%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +2.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -11.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 5
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 20 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
20
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 149
- Loan volume
- $50.3M
- Median loan
- $354K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 31.4%
- 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)
- 68.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 39
- Defaults
- 33
- Typical loan rate
- 7.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 10.8%
- brand above franchise avg ↑
- Jobs supported
- 889
- 4.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 16%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 71% went to startups / new businesses, 29% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in limited-service restaurants, franchised businesses charge off at 10.8% vs 10.0% for independents — franchising is associated with 8% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Saladworks charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Saladworks franchisees
Showing 3 of 39 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Saladworks'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 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 15-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 31.4% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 31.4% — 96% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Saladworks discloses an OLD predecessor Chapter 11 (SW Liquidation filed 2015, assets sold June 2015) and one resolved predecessor suit, but current financials are strong parent-level: net worth $10.1M and net income $2.44M. No going concern or distress. The historical predecessor bankruptcy is low weight; units slipped -11.7% to 84.
Litigation (Item 3)
9 case reference(s): 2 pending, 2 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $8
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the bankruptcy code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROld predecessor Chapter 11 (2015, resolved via asset sale)
- 02MINORParent-level financials: net worth $10,121,910, net income $2,442,585
- 03MEDNet unit decline -11.7%; one resolved predecessor suit
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% 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 |
| Territory type | Radius/Area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
9 case reference(s): 2 pending, 2 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
108 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
SALADWORKS · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a SALADWORKS franchise?
The total investment to open a SALADWORKS franchise ranges from $484K – $678K, 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 SALADWORKS franchise owners earn?
SALADWORKS 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 Item 19 in the SALADWORKS 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 SALADWORKS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is SALADWORKS's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, SALADWORKS has a charge-off rate of 31.4% across 149 loans, meaning 31.4% 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 SALADWORKS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SALADWORKS has 84 total units in the United States, including 83 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is SALADWORKS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SALADWORKS as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.