Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $290K – $623K
- Disclosed sales
- $454K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Samurai Sam's Teriyaki Grill is a fast-casual franchise serving teriyaki bowls, stir-fry, and Japanese-inspired fare. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill franchise requires a total initial investment of $290K – $623K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $454K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored7 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $290K – $623K
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $454K
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 12
- 41st pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants median · 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 $290K – $623K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $454K/year (median $423K).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 54/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- LEGAL20 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3, higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Kahala Franchising, L.L.C.
- Parent company
- Kahala Brands, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- MTY Food Group, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- Kahala Franchise Corp.; SP Franchising, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer (MTY)
- Eric Lefebvre
- CEO experience
- 14 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Arizona
- HQ
- 9311 E. Via De Ventura, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $597.5M
- vs $606.6M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 7
26 other brands on this site name MTY Food Group, Inc. as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- Barrio QueenC
- BlimpieD
- Chicken Strips and DipsD
- Cold Stone CreameryC
- Extreme PitaF
- Famous Dave’sB
- Ginger Sushi + Poke ShopC
- GrabbagreenC
- Great SteakC
- Kahala Coffee TradersB
- La DiperieB
- Manchu WOKB
- Maui WowiD
- Mucho BurritoB
- NrGize Lifestyle CafeB
- Papa Murphy'sA
- PinkberryB
- Planet SmoothieC
- Sauce Pizza / WineD
- Surf City SqueezeD
- TacoTimeC
- Thai ExpressD
- Village InnD
- Wetzel’s PretzelsA
- +2 more
Portfolio: MTY Food Group · Kahala Brands
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Eric Lefebvre
- Headquarters
- AZ
- Founded
- 2003
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about typical for a quick-service restaurants franchise (near the category median).
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Traditional) | $14K | $30K | |
| Lease Review Fee (Traditional) | $0 | $3K | |
| Rent/Security Deposit (for 3 months) (Traditional) | $6K | $20K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses (2 persons) while training (Traditional) | $3K | $5K | |
| Real Estate (Traditional) | — | — | |
| Architectural Fees (Traditional) | $15K | $25K | |
| Leasehold Improvements (Traditional) | $125K | $292K | |
| Restaurant Equipment, Furniture, Small Wares, Interior Signage and Menu Panels (Traditional) | $91K | $160K | |
| Exterior Signage (Traditional) | $7K | $17K | |
| Computer Hardware, Software (POS System) (Traditional) | $3K | $10K | |
| PCI Compliance Costs (Traditional) | $150 | $1K | |
| Opening Inventory (food and paper) (Traditional) | $3K | $7K | |
| Business Insurance (Traditional) | $1K | $5K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs (Traditional) | $5K | $16K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing (Traditional) | $10K | $10K | |
| Depository Account (Traditional) | $3K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 month initial period (Traditional) | $5K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $290K | $623K |
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
- $290K – $623K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% |
| Technology fee | $75 |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $7K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 53% below the quick-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$469K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
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, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $454K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $423K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 12 outlets
- vs category median 19
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 781 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 1.0x 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 $454K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.0x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% — above the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.5%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -7.7% 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 medians
How Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 12
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -7.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -7.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transfer rate
- 8.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 4 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.
4
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $161K
- Median loan
- $161K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 1 loan, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Backed by Kahala with strong parent-level financials (net worth $252.9M, net income $17.0M). Litigation count of 18 is parent/affiliate-wide across many brands and mostly concluded, so low weight relative to the large system. Minor concerns: parent-level financials mask brand data and -7.7% brand growth (12 units).
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Two concluded cases: (1) Purav Enterprises, L.L.C. v. The Extreme Pita Franchising USA, Inc. (Washington, 2015) - FIPA violations and misrepresentation claims; settled for $20,000 on March 11, 2016. (2) KOHO, Inc. v. Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. (California, 2015) - breach of contract and unjust enrichment; Kahala prevailed at bench trial, awarded $205,000 in attorney's fees; settled via area developer territory repurchase for $75,000 plus forgiveness of remaining $130,000 damages on June 19, 2017.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 financial statements are the AUDITED CONSOLIDATED statements of the franchisor's parent/guarantor, MTY Franchising USA, Inc. (Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. does not provide its own audited statements). Figures are for fiscal year ended November 30, 2023 (yr1) and November 30, 2022 (yr2), reported in thousands of US dollars and converted to whole dollars (x1000). Balance sheet reconciles: total assets $1,459,449K = total liabilities $1,206,513K + stockholder's equity $252,936K (common stock $179,154K + retained earnings $73,782K). Revenue $580,280K is total consolidated revenue. Note: the document's Item 21 references a more recent FY2024/2023 statement set, but only the FY2023/2022 audited statements (auditor report dated Feb 2, 2024, PwC Montreal) are present in the extracted text; these were used.
ⓘ 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
- 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 54 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOR18 concluded matters spread across many Kahala affiliate brands (low per-brand weight)
- 02MINORParent-level financials (net worth $252.9M)
- 03MINORBrand net growth -7.7%, only 12 units
- 04MINORNo bankruptcy or going-concern
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 90 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | county and state where the Franchised Business is located |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Arizona |
| Litigation count | 20 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two concluded cases: (1) Purav Enterprises, L.L.C. v. The Extreme Pita Franchising USA, Inc. (Washington, 2015) - FIPA violations and misrepresentation claims; settled for $20,000 on March 11, 2016. (2) KOHO, Inc. v. Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. (California, 2015) - breach of contract and unjust enrichment; Kahala prevailed at bench trial, awarded $205,000 in attorney's fees; settled via area developer territory repurchase for $75,000 plus forgiveness of remaining $130,000 damages on June 19, 2017.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee, with franchisor approval and optional franchisor assistance upon request
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill franchise?
The total investment to open a Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill franchise ranges from $290K – $623K, 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 Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $454K. The median is $423K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill?
Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill is franchised by Kahala Franchising, L.L.C.. Its parent company is Kahala Brands, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is MTY Food Group, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill 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 Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill (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 Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill has 12 total units in the United States, including 12 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 54 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.