Sonny’s BBQ Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Sonny's BBQ is a barbecue franchise serving slow-smoked pork, ribs, brisket, and Southern sides. Franchisees run full-service restaurants managing smoking, service, and staff.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Sonny’s BBQ franchise requires a total initial investment of $718K – $1.1M, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $3.2M[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $718K – $1.1M
- 29th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- 13th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 4.5%
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 91
- 31st pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-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 $718K – $1.1M including a $35K franchise fee, 4.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $3.2M/year (median $3.1M).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 74/100 (higher is better).
- FLAG12 units terminated last reporting year (13.2% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Sonny's Franchise Company
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- James S. Yarmuth
- Incorporated in
- Florida
- HQ
- 359 Carolina Avenue, Suite A, Winter Park, Florida 32789
- Auditor
- Schafer, Tschopp, Whitcomb, Mitchell & Sheridan, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $23.1M
- vs $22.9M prior year
Affiliated brands
- of ours as it provides marketing services to our franchisees
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- James S. Yarmuth
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1980
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 8
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 22% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Land, Building, Renovation, Leasehold Improvement and Other Real Estate Costsnot refundable | — | — | |
| Architectural Feesnot refundable | $35K | $60K | |
| Equipment/Smallwaresnot refundable | $300K | $360K | |
| Furniturenot refundable | $60K | $75K | |
| Technologynot refundable | $60K | $95K | |
| Pre-Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $12K | $14K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Site Worknot refundable | $125K | $300K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $30K | $50K | |
| Additional Fundsnot refundable | $41K | $87K | |
| Total initial investment | $718K | $1.1M |
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
- $718K – $1.1M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $41K – $87K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.5%
- Gross Receipts · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $18K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
A 6.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 85% above the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
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
$370K
11.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
38%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
32 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
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. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Sonny’s BBQ unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
38%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Sonny’s BBQ units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
35.0%
4.49× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
2.33×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$5.1M
on $14.5M purchase
Total debt
$9.3M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $3.1M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- sales volume (average, median, high/low, percentage attaining average)
- Sample size
- 89 outlets
- vs category median 18 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $1.9M→$5.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 805 Full-Service Restaurants brands
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 $3.2M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 3.5x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.5% (near the Full-Service Restaurants average).
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 -2.2% 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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Sonny’s BBQ Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 91
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 12
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.3%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -2.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 8 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.
8
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- $937K
- Median loan
- $234K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (4 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- 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
Established restaurant franchisor since 1991 with no litigation, no bankruptcy, and no going-concern doubt. Positive net worth $7.9M and strong net income $7.43M on $22.9M revenue, audited, Item 19 disclosed for 91 units.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $35,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Schafer, Tschopp, Whitcomb, Mitchell & Sheridan, LLP
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 74 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORno litigation, no bankruptcy
- 02MINORnet worth $7,895,540, net income $7,429,490
- 03MEDaudited, Item 19 disclosed
- 04MINOR91 units, established since 1991
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 85 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 450 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
98 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Sonny’s BBQ · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Sonny’s BBQ franchise?
The total investment to open a Sonny’s BBQ franchise ranges from $718K – $1.1M, 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 Sonny’s BBQ franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Sonny’s BBQ FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.2M. The median is $3.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Sonny’s BBQ 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 Sonny’s BBQ FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Sonny’s BBQ's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Sonny’s BBQ (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 Sonny’s BBQ franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Sonny’s BBQ has 91 total units in the United States, including 90 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Sonny’s BBQ a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Sonny’s BBQ as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 74 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.