Small Town Play CaféFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Small Town Play Café franchise requires a total initial investment of $501K – $792K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $92K[2]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $501K – $792K
- 56th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $92K
- 0th pct Education
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 6th pct Education
- Units
- 1
- 2nd pct Education
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Education 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
At 0.1x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Started franchising in 2025. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $501K – $792K including a $45K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $92K/year.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 64/100.
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Small Town Play Café Franchising LLC
- Incorporated in
- NJ
- HQ
- 278 North Avenue East, Westfield, New Jersey 07090
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $180K
- Most recent fiscal year
Affiliated brands
- Small Town Play Cafe IP Holdings
- owns and operates a business similar to the franchise offering
- Small Town Play Cafe
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Small Town Play Café operates an indoor play facility and café hybrid targeting families with young children. Franchisees manage day-to-day operations including supervised play areas, food service, birthday party hosting, and membership programs while maintaining safety/sanitation standards.
- CEO
- Kimberly Coe
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Construction, Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $259K | $396K | |
| Furniture and Fixturesnot refundable | $15K | $24K | |
| Equipmentnot refundable | $27K | $39K | |
| Signage (interior and exterior)not refundable | $4K | $18K | |
| Computer, Software and POS Systemnot refundable | $11K | $15K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $19K | $27K | |
| Rent Deposits | $22K | $55K | |
| Utility Deposits | $981 | $1K | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiumsnot refundable | $2K | $8K | |
| Pre-opening Travel Expensenot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Grand Opening Marketingnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $30K | $40K | |
| Business Permits and Licensesnot refundable | $5K | $6K | |
| Menu Printing, Stationery and Office Suppliesnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $57K | $109K | |
| Total initial investment | $501K | $792K |
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
$15K
16.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
2%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
49.6 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $501K – $792K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $57K – $109K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $100 |
| Transfer fee | $50 |
| Renewal fee | $15 |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $92K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Company Owned
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 14 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $60K→$124K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 237 Education brands
Revenue is only 0.1x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Education averages
How Small Town Play Café 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
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- 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 12 · 1 state 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.
1
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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Extremely early-stage franchise with single operating unit, unclear parent company viability, and insufficient operational data to validate $500K+ investment thesis.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $45,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 64 / 100 rating
- 01MEDOnly 1 operating unit with unknown growth trajectory indicates unproven scalability and extremely limited performance data
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, suggesting the parent company or existing operations may face viability issues
- 03MINORHigh investment range ($500K–$792K) with only one comparable unit creates severe benchmarking uncertainty
- 04HIGHNo litigation disclosed but single-unit system provides minimal legal/operational precedent to evaluate
- 05MINORItem 19 (financial performance) appears absent or unreliable given contradictory metrics (avg revenue $1.04M vs. single unit unknown)
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 or Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | 75,000 people |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 56 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant and franchisor's facility
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Small Town Play Café · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Small Town Play Café franchise?
The total investment to open a Small Town Play Café franchise ranges from $501K – $792K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Small Town Play Café franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Small Town Play Café FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $92K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Small Town Play Café's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Small Town Play Café (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 Small Town Play Café franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Small Town Play Café has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Small Town Play Café a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Small Town Play Café as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 64 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.