Steak Escape Sandwich Grill Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Steak Escape is a quick-service franchise serving grilled cheesesteaks, sandwiches, and fresh-cut fries. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service, often in food courts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Steak Escape Sandwich Grill franchise requires a total initial investment of $240K – $829K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $240K – $829K
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 23
- 51st 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 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 $240K – $829K including a $25K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -20.8% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Escape Enterprises, Ltd.
- Parent company
- Escape Enterprises, Inc.
- CEO title
- Interim President
- Kyle Turner
- Incorporated in
- Ohio
- HQ
- 1099 Sullivant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43223
- Auditor
- Holbrook & Manter
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.1M
- vs $1.0M prior year
Affiliated brands
- companies
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kyle Turner
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 1996
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 7
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 19% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Initial Training Expenses | $2K | $4K | |
| Initial Inventory of Food, Paper Products and Misc. Supplies | $5K | $10K | |
| Space Lease (Security Deposit and First Three Months' Rent) | $6K | $24K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $75K | $475K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $77K | $140K | |
| Signs and Graphics | $7K | $37K | |
| POS System | $4K | $15K | |
| Lease Negotiation Legal Expenses | $2K | $10K | |
| Architectural Services | $8K | $35K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $8K | |
| Uniforms | $1K | $2K | |
| Pre-Opening Advertising | $4K | $10K | |
| Utility Deposits, Business Licenses, and Prepaid Expenses | $2K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $20K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $240K | $829K |
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
- $240K – $829K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Steak Escape Sandwich Grill did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Steak Escape Sandwich Grill unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
19%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -20.8% 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 averages
How Steak Escape Sandwich Grill Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 23
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 4
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 21.1%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 83%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -20.8%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -20.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 10.5%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 79.2%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 10.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 21.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 7 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.
7
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
- $111K
- Median loan
- $111K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — 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
One Item 3 royalty-collection suit (routine), no Item 19, and a sharp -20.8% net unit decline (23 units, 21% turnover). Franchisor is barely profitable at $6,726 net income on $1.07M revenue though net worth is solid at $1.2M and audited.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Holbrook & Manter
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: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNet decline -20.8% in units
- 02MINORTurnover 21.05%
- 03HIGHOne royalty-collection litigation matter
- 04MINORMarginal net income $6,726
- 05MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.5% 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 | 10 years |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 1 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 70 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 142 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Site selection
- joint
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
7 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Steak Escape Sandwich Grill · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Steak Escape Sandwich Grill franchise?
The total investment to open a Steak Escape Sandwich Grill franchise ranges from $240K – $829K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Steak Escape Sandwich Grill franchise owners earn?
Steak Escape Sandwich Grill 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 Item 19 in the Steak Escape Sandwich 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 Steak Escape Sandwich Grill FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Steak Escape Sandwich Grill's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Steak Escape Sandwich 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 Steak Escape Sandwich Grill franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Steak Escape Sandwich Grill has 23 total units in the United States, including 19 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Steak Escape Sandwich Grill a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Steak Escape Sandwich Grill as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 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?
If you represent Steak Escape Sandwich Grill, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Quick-Service Restaurants category
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.