SAMBAZON Açaí BowlsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls franchise requires a total initial investment of $380K – $630K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $380K – $630K
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 12th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 2nd 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
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $380K – $630K including a $30K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.1M/year.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 56/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- SAMBAZON USA FRANCHISING LLC
- Parent company
- SAMBAZON WORLDWIDE LICENSING, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- SAMBAZON, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- NV
- HQ
- 209 Avenida Fabricante, Suite 200, San Clemente, CA 92672
- Auditor
- Baker Tilly US, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- does
- shares our same pr
- does not offer franchises for this business or in any other line of business
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
SAMBAZON franchisees operate quick-service retail locations serving açaí bowls, smoothies, and health-focused beverages. Day-to-day operations include inventory management of frozen açaí and fresh toppings, staffing 4-8 employees across peak hours, customer service, POS management, and social media marketing to drive foot traffic in high-density urban or lifestyle retail locations.
- CEO
- Ryan Black
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $150K | $300K | |
| Rentnot refundable | — | — | |
| Security Depositsnot refundable | $0 | $10K | |
| Architect Feesnot refundable | $13K | $20K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $3K | $8K | |
| Business Licenses and Operating Permitsnot refundable | $1K | $4K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment & Smallwaresnot refundable | $118K | $143K | |
| P.O.S. System, Electronic Equipment, Telephone and Technologynot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Music System and Installation Costsnot refundable | $6K | $6K | |
| Menu Boards and Installation Costsnot refundable | $6K | $6K | |
| Security Equipment and Installation Costsnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Initial Promotional Advertising Expensesnot refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Travel, Lodging, Meals, etc. for Initial Trainingnot refundable | $2K | $6K | |
| Additional Funds (first 3 months of operation)not refundable | $15K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $380K | $630K |
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
$124K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
24%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $380K – $630K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $600 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate Store
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 13 · small
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
SAMBAZON presents moderate-to-cautionary risk due to extremely limited disclosed unit data (1 unit), lack of Item 19 financial verification, high capital requirements, and unclear growth trajectory in a competitive segment.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $60,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
bankruptcy petition under the provisions of Chapter 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on March 4, 2021, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas, In re Randall C. McBrayer and Kelli B. McBrayer, No. 21-40251. On May 17, 2021, the bankruptcy court entered a confirmation of
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Baker Tilly US, LLP⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 rating
- 01MEDOnly 1 disclosed unit makes growth trajectory impossible to validate and suggests either new system or significant contraction
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representation limits ability to verify if $293k average net income is achievable or cherry-picked
- 03MEDHigh initial investment ($380k-$630k) relative to disclosed unit count creates uncertainty about ROI timeline and scalability
- 04MINORVague 'Unknown growth' status indicates franchisor may not be transparent about system performance or expansion plans
- 05MINORAçaí bowl market is saturated in major metros with heavy competition from juice bars, smoothie chains, and health-focused QSRs
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 rightsℹ | 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 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 68 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisor
- POS system
- TOAST & R365
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: TOAST & R365
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls franchise?
The total investment to open a SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls franchise ranges from $380K – $630K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls (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 SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 56 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.