Superior Play SystemsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Superior Play Systems franchise requires a total initial investment of $266K – $318K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.3M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $266K – $318K
- 28th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $2.3M
- 20th pct Retail
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 6th pct Retail
- Units
- 7
- 5th pct Retail
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail 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 7.8x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
113% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $266K – $318K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.3M/year, with an estimated 113% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 35/100.
- Revenue data based on only 2 reporting units. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- SUPERIOR PLAY FRANCHISING LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- CEO
- Nolan Kraus
- CEO experience
- 28 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- PA
- HQ
- 2554 Industry Lane, Norristown, PA 19403
- Auditor
- Herbein + Company, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
Superior Play Systems franchisees operate commercial playground equipment sales, installation, and maintenance services. Day-to-day activities likely include direct B2B sales to schools/municipalities, project management/installation oversight, and ongoing customer service. Revenue model appears project-based rather than recurring subscription.
- CEO
- Nolan Kraus
- Headquarters
- PA
- Founded
- 2017
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $44K | $59K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $182K | $220K |
| Total initial investment | $266K | $318K |
Source: Superior Play Systems 2023 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$204K
9.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
59%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
20 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $266K – $318K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $44K – $59K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 0.9 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $330K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 112.8%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate-owned outlets
- Sample size
- 2 units
- vs category median 49 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.5M→$3.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 2 / 5 · above
Compared against 304 Retail brands
Revenue is 7.8x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Retail averages
How Superior Play Systems Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 7
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 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 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
Superior Play Systems presents meaningful caution due to franchisor going concern status, minimal unit growth, unprotected territory, and thin profit margins relative to initial investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Herbein + Company, Inc.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 35 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern warning indicates financial distress at franchisor level despite positive unit economics
- 02MINOROnly 7 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests stalled or contracting system
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other franchisees in same market
- 04HIGHNo disclosed litigation is unusual for franchise systems; may indicate incomplete disclosure or young system
- 05MINORHigh investment-to-net-income ratio ($266k-$318k investment against $329k avg net income) leaves minimal margin for error
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 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Washington, D.C. |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 11 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Microsoft Dynamics GP & Sales Pad Software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Microsoft Dynamics GP & Sales Pad Software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Superior Play Systems · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Superior Play Systems franchise?
The total investment to open a Superior Play Systems franchise ranges from $266K – $318K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Superior Play Systems franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Superior Play Systems FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Superior Play Systems's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Superior Play Systems (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 Superior Play Systems franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Superior Play Systems has 7 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 7 company-owned units.
Is Superior Play Systems a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Superior Play Systems as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 35 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.