Slime KitchenFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Slime Kitchen franchise requires a total initial investment of $106K – $170K, including a $35K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $106K – $170K
- 9th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 8
- 6th pct Retail
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail 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 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $106K – $170K including a $35K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 60/100.
- 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
- Slime Kitchen Franchise, Inc.
- CEO title
- Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Katherine Ando
- CEO experience
- 7 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 50 Black Fox Way, Redwood City, CA 94062
- Auditor
- Haynie & Company
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate retail locations or kiosks specializing in the sale and creation of slime products, likely targeting children and teens. Day-to-day operations include managing inventory, preparing slime batches, conducting in-store demonstrations or workshops, handling point-of-sale transactions, and managing customer safety/liability related to the product.
- CEO
- Katherine Ando
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 3
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Training Travel & Living Expenses | $5K | $10K | |
| Rent, Security Deposit & Utility Deposit | $10K | $18K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $10K | $20K | |
| Equipment | $5K | $10K | |
| Furniture, Office Equipment & Software | $4K | $5K | |
| Signage | $4K | $12K | |
| Point of Sale System | $3K | $5K | |
| Initial Inventory & Supplies | $15K | $20K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $5K | $5K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $3K | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $4K | |
| Business Licenses & Permits | $500 | $1K | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $2K | $7K | |
| Additional Funds Three Months | $15K | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $116K | $180K |
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
- $106K – $170K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of the $3,000 (Minimum Royalty Fee) or 7% of …
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of $3,000 or 7% of Gross Revenues |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1 |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $7K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How Slime Kitchen Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 8
- Opened
- 3
- 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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 38%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 31 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
Slime Kitchen presents elevated risk due to non-disclosure of financial performance, minimal system size (8 units), unclear growth trajectory, and structural royalty fees that may exceed earnings in low-revenue scenarios.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Haynie & Company
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (Average Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) — inability to validate ROI claims or benchmark performance
- 02MEDExtremely small system with only 8 units — indicates minimal brand recognition, limited operational track record, and higher failure risk
- 03MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory — no clarity on whether system is expanding, stagnant, or contracting
- 04MINORHigh royalty burden with $3,000 monthly minimum ($36,000 annually) regardless of revenue — creates cash flow risk for underperforming locations
- 05HIGHGoing Concern status is False — suggests the franchisor entity may have capital constraints or operational instability
- 06HIGHNo disclosed litigation history — either legitimately clean or potentially undisclosed disputes; unclear without FDD verification
- 07MINORWide investment range ($105,500–$169,500) without breakdown — suggests inconsistent startup costs or lack of standardized operations
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | ZIP Codes |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | 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 | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | San Mateo County, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 108 hrs
- Training location
- franchisor location and on-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
34 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Slime Kitchen · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Slime Kitchen franchise?
The total investment to open a Slime Kitchen franchise ranges from $106K – $170K, 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 Slime Kitchen franchise owners earn?
Slime Kitchen 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 Slime Kitchen's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Slime Kitchen (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 Slime Kitchen franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Slime Kitchen has 8 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 5 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Slime Kitchen a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Slime Kitchen as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 60 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.
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.