Tapville SocialFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Tapville Social franchise requires a total initial investment of $101K – $2.5M, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $385K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $101K – $2.5M
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $385K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 36
- 33rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
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
At 0.3x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
The system grew 78% year-over-year. Fast growth means demand, but can strain support.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $101K – $2.5M including a $45K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $385K/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 34/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Tapville Franchising Inc.
- CEO title
- Founder and CEO
- Joseph Tota
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 216 S. Washington Street, Naperville, Illinois 60540
- Auditor
- Smith, Buzzi & Associates, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $583K
- vs $235K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- Tapville Operations
- Tapville Services
- Tapville Tech
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Tapville Social operates social-focused dining and entertainment venues combining food, beverage service, and social gaming/activities. Franchisees manage daily operations including staff scheduling, inventory, customer service, and event programming to drive venue traffic and per-capita spending.
- CEO
- Joseph Tota
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 43 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $0 | $5K | |
| Real Estate Rent Deposits and Pre-Paid Expenses | $10K | $30K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $100K | $350K | |
| Construction of Leasehold Improvements | $365K | $1.4M | |
| Inventory and Supplies | $15K | $35K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $5K | $125K | |
| Insurance (3 months) | $3K | $5K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $3K | $15K | |
| Brand Standards Design | $5K | $15K | |
| Architectural/Engineering | $10K | $65K | |
| Computer, POS System Technology Equipment | $5K | $10K | |
| Technology Equipment | $70K | $149K | |
| Signage | $5K | $36K | |
| Accountant and Attorney Fees | $750 | $2K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $40K | $100K | |
| Branded Millwork Package | $70K | $110K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Kiosk)not refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training (Kiosk) | $0 | $2K | |
| Real Estate Rent Deposits and Pre-Paid Expenses (Kiosk) | $0 | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $955K | $3.1M |
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
$39K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
3%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
35.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $101K – $2.5M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $45K
- Better than avg 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 | $2K |
| Training fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $35K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $385K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Affiliated Entity-Owned and Franchised Outlets
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 13 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $85K→$686K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 6 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.3x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Tapville Social Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 36
- Opened
- 13
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.8%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 89%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +77.8%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 14
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 8
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 6
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 0.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 0.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 0.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Last reporting year only, multi-year history not disclosed in this brand's FDD.
Item 20 · 18 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Illinois
- New York
- Virginia
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 8 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 8
- Loan volume
- $4.2M
- Median loan
- $235K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
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
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Tapville Social's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 3-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Rapidly growing young system with recent state regulatory violations, undisclosed profitability metrics, and wide investment variance presents meaningful compliance and financial transparency risks.
Litigation (Item 3)
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $5,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Smith, Buzzi & Associates, LLC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 34 / 100 rating
- 01MINORRecent regulatory violations in Maryland (June 2024) and California (November 2021) demonstrate compliance failures and material misrepresentations to franchisees
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 despite $2.4M average revenue, preventing ROI assessment and suggesting potential profitability concerns
- 03MINORRapid unit growth (77.8% YoY) with only 36 total units raises sustainability questions—may indicate aggressive recruitment masking underlying unit performance issues
- 04MINORWide investment range ($100.5K–$2.5M) suggests inconsistent unit economics and difficulty standardizing franchise model across 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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Radius and population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| 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 | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Dupage County, Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 22 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 133 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant and franchisor's location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Untappd
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Untappd
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
36 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Tapville Social · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Tapville Social franchise?
The total investment to open a Tapville Social franchise ranges from $101K – $2.5M, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Tapville Social franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Tapville Social FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $385K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Tapville Social's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Tapville Social (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 Tapville Social franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Tapville Social has 36 total units in the United States. 13 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Tapville Social a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Tapville Social as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 34 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.