Tapville Social Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Tapville Social is a full-service franchise combining a self-pour beer wall with a restaurant and social gaming. Franchisees run the venues, managing self-pour tap systems, food and beverage service, and events.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Tapville Social franchise requires a total initial investment of $751K – $2.5M, including a $20K – $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $751K – $2.5M
- 30th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 36
- 25th 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 $751K – $2.5M including a $45K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 disclosed $2.4M from 1 affiliate-owned outlet across 36 total units. This reflects franchisor operations, not franchisee performance.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 54/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 1500.0% CAGR over 3 years with 36 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- TAPVILLE FRANCHISING INC.
- Predecessor
- TAPVILLE STATION FRANCHISING, LLC d/b/a TAPVILLE SOCIAL FRANCHISING
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Founder and CEO
- Joseph Tota
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- 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
Affiliated brands
- Tapville Operations
- Tapville Services
- Tapville Tech
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Joseph Tota
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 39% above the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown43 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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $751K – $2.5M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $3K – $100K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- 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 | 0.0% 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 |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Tapville Social 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 Tapville Social unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
5%
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 disclosed $2.4M from 1 affiliate-owned outlet across 36 total units. This reflects franchisor operations, not franchisee performance.
- Item 19 type
- Affiliated Entity-Owned and Franchised Outlets
- Sample size
- 8
- vs category median 18 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $85K→$686K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
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 Affiliated Entity-Owned and Franchised Outlets rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 1500.0% CAGR over 3 years across 36 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Tapville Social Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 36
- Opened
- 14
- 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
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 89%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 14
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 8
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 3
- 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
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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
- N/A
- limited sample (8 loans) — 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
- 5
- 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
Bar/taproom franchisor with 36 units and strong reported AUV ($2.42M), but carries two regulatory consent orders: a California DFPI order (Nov 2021, undisclosed auditor/omission, $5,000 penalty) and a Maryland Securities order (June 2024, pre-registration ADA). No litigation, bankruptcy, or going concern.
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
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 54 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORTwo regulatory consent orders (CA DFPI 2021, MD Securities 2024)
- 02MINORRegistration/disclosure compliance failures
- 03MEDOtherwise strong: AUV $2.42M, audited, 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 |
| 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
35 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 $751K – $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?
Tapville Social 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 Tapville Social 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 Tapville Social FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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, including 32 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 14 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Tapville Social a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Tapville Social as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 54 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 Tapville Social, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.