Taffer’s Tavern Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Taffer's Tavern is a casual-dining franchise, from Jon Taffer, serving elevated pub food and cocktails in a modern tavern. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing the kitchen, bar, and dining service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Taffer’s Tavern franchise requires a total initial investment of $812K – $1.4M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $812K – $1.4M
- 31st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- n=1
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 1st 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 $812K – $1.4M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 covers a single outlet — the Alpharetta, Georgia restaurant, June 2024 to May 2025 (printed p.50) — and is not an average of anything. Item 20 (printed p.51) shows the franchised system went 1 to 2 to 4 and back to 1 across FY2023-FY2025, so the one reported unit is what remained after three closures.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 38/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports Actual rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Premier Taverns LLC
- Parent company
- Craveworthy LLC
- Incorporated in
- Nevada
- HQ
- 755 Schneider Drive, South Elgin, Illinois 60177
- Auditor
- DNJ Consulting Inc. dba DNJ & ASSOCIATES
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $983K
- vs $410K prior year
Affiliated brands
- Jon Taffer
- Craveworthy
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jon Taffer
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about average for a full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Delayed Opening Feenot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Leasehold Improvements & Construction Costnot refundable | $210K | $415K | |
| Licenses and Permits (Not Including a Liquor License)not refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Rent - 3 monthsnot refundable | $0 | $60K | |
| Security Deposits | $5K | $25K | |
| Blueprintsnot refundable | $15K | $30K | |
| Furnishings, Fixtures & Equipmentnot refundable | $330K | $425K | |
| Signage - Interior and Exteriornot refundable | $12K | $40K | |
| Computer Systemnot refundable | $9K | $12K | |
| Travel & Living Expenses While Trainingnot refundable | $0 | $15K | |
| Insurance - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising Campaignnot refundable | $10K | $25K | |
| Opening Inventory & Suppliesnot refundable | $65K | $80K | |
| On-Site Location Evaluationnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Audio/Visual Systemnot refundable | $25K | $50K | |
| Ancillary Real Estate Costsnot refundable | $3K | $8K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $65K | $85K | |
| Total initial investment | $812K | $1.4M |
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
- $812K – $1.4M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $65K – $85K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $65K – $80K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Taffer’s Tavern 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 Taffer’s Tavern unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
6%
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
Item 19 covers a single outlet — the Alpharetta, Georgia restaurant, June 2024 to May 2025 (printed p.50) — and is not an average of anything. Item 20 (printed p.51) shows the franchised system went 1 to 2 to 4 and back to 1 across FY2023-FY2025, so the one reported unit is what remained after three closures.
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- Actual
- Sample size
- 1
- vs category median 18 · small
- Reported figure
- $3.0M
- A single outlet — not a range
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · typical
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.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Full-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Actual rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Taffer’s Tavern Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- 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
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 25.0%
- Units that stayed open
Last reporting year only, multi-year history not disclosed in this brand's FDD.
Item 12 · 1 state 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.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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.
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
Financial distress flagged: net worth -$2.46M and net income -$759,813 on only $409,694 revenue in a single-unit system. Two pending suits (fraud/fraudulent inducement) against affiliated Craveworthy brands, not directly against Taffer's entity. Audited with Item 19 disclosed (avg gross $2.98M), but negative equity plus affiliate fraud litigation stack concerns.
Litigation (Item 3)
3 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DNJ Consulting Inc. dba DNJ & ASSOCIATES
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 38 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative net worth -$2.46M, net income -$759,813
- 02MINOROnly 1 unit, revenue $409,694
- 03HIGHTwo pending affiliate suits alleging fraud/fraudulent inducement
- 04MEDNo going-concern note, Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Nevada |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
3 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 49 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 42 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Shift4Payments & POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Shift4Payments & POS
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Taffer’s Tavern franchise?
The total investment to open a Taffer’s Tavern franchise ranges from $812K – $1.4M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Taffer’s Tavern franchise owners earn?
Taffer’s Tavern 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 Taffer’s Tavern 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 Taffer’s Tavern FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Taffer’s Tavern's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Taffer’s Tavern (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 Taffer’s Tavern franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Taffer’s Tavern has 1 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Taffer’s Tavern a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Taffer’s Tavern as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 38 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
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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.