Steak Escape Sandwich Grill Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $240K – $829K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
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]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $240K – $829K
- 34th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th 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 median · 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.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 39/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -4 franchised outlets in the latest year (1 opened, 5 closed) (Item 20).
- 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.
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2025 FDD
- 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).
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 11
1 other brand on this site name Escape Enterprises, Inc. as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
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 10% above 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%
- 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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Steak Escape Sandwich Grill unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 median).
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 medians
How Steak Escape Sandwich Grill Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
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
- 5
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 21.7%
- 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 1
- 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
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 1 loan, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 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.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
Escape Enterprises, Ltd. v. SESHMS Inc., et al. (22CV001626, Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County, Ohio, 2022) - suit to collect royalty payments
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Holbrook & Manter
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Revenue = royalty fees $997,193 + franchise/transfer fees $69,744 = $1,066,937 (2024); $1,032,948 (2023). Net income $6,726 (2024), $208,322 (2023).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 39 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNet decline -20.8% in units
- 02HIGHOne royalty-collection litigation matter
- 03MINORMarginal net income $6,726
- 04MINORNo 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 |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 3 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 15 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Franklin County, Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Escape Enterprises, Ltd. v. SESHMS Inc., et al. (22CV001626, Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County, Ohio, 2022) - suit to collect royalty payments
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 70 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 142 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- joint
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Escape-approved POS vendor (not named)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Escape-approved POS vendor (not named)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
7 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Steak Escape Sandwich Grill?
Steak Escape Sandwich Grill is franchised by Escape Enterprises, Ltd.. Its parent company is Escape Enterprises, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
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 39 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.