Sonny’s BBQFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $718K – $1.1M
- 39th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 4.5%
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 91
- 41st 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
Each dollar invested generates 3.5x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1991. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 92 to 90 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $718K – $1.1M including a $35K franchise fee, 4.5% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $3.2M/year (median $3.1M).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 54/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- SONNY’S FRANCHISE COMPANY
- Incorporated in
- FL
- 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
Sonny's BBQ franchisees operate fast-casual or full-service barbecue restaurants, managing daily operations including food prep, smoking meats, customer service, staffing, and inventory. Operators handle P&L responsibility for a high-labor, commodity-dependent business with significant food cost volatility and equipment maintenance demands.
- CEO
- James S. Yarmuth
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1980
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 8
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 12 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.
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
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $718K – $1.1M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $41K – $87K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Better than avg 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.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $3.1M
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 89 units
- vs category median 13 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $1.9M→$5.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Sonny’s BBQ Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 91
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Turnover rate
- 3.3%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -3.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 5
- 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 20 · 9 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Sonny’s BBQ's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining unit base combined with non-disclosed profitability metrics and high capital requirements creates meaningful investment risk despite strong average revenue.
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 54 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 3.2% YoY (91 units) suggests system contraction and potential market saturation or performance issues
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 prevents ROI analysis and obscures profitability reality for franchisees
- 03MEDHigh initial investment ($717.5K–$1.11M) against undisclosed net income creates significant financial risk without transparent earnings data
- 04MINORModest royalty rate (4.5%) may indicate franchisor relies on franchise fees rather than system health, concerning for ongoing support
- 05MINOR20-year term is lengthy commitment in QSR space where market conditions shift rapidly; difficult to exit underperforming locations
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 | 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
97 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 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 92 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Sonny’s BBQ a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Sonny’s BBQ as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 54 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.