The Casual PintFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Casual Pint franchise requires a total initial investment of $915K – $1.7M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $716K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 9.1% charge-off rate across 14 loans[1]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $915K – $1.7M
- 42nd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $716K
- 5th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 18
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 9.1%
- 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 0.6x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchised units fell from 17 to 16 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $915K – $1.7M including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $716K/year (median $552K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 70/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 9.1% across 14 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Casual Pint Franchising, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- The Casual Pint, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Josh Robinette
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TN
- HQ
- 508 Kendall Road, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
- Auditor
- Barnett & Stegall, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $709K
- vs $719K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- may
- is GMR
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
The Casual Pint operates casual craft beer and food service establishments, requiring franchisees to manage day-to-day bar/restaurant operations including inventory management, staff scheduling, customer service, local marketing, and compliance with alcohol licensing regulations across typically 18-unit portfolio locations.
- CEO
- Josh Robinette
- Headquarters
- TN
- Founded
- 2013
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $21K | $56K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $855K | $1.6M |
| Total initial investment | $915K | $1.7M |
Source: The Casual Pint 2025 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
$86K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
6%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
15.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $915K – $1.7M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $21K – $56K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Net Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $125 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $4K |
| Inventory (initial) | $50K – $65K |
| 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
- $716K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $552K
- Item 19 type
- net_sales
- Sample size
- 17 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $314K→$1.8M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $388K→$1.3M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.6x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How The Casual Pint Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 18
- 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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 94%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +6.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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
- Minnesota
- South Dakota
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 14
- Loan volume
- $3.7M
- Median loan
- $336K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 9.1%
- 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)
- 90.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 6
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into The Casual Pint's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 6 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 5-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Small, stagnant system with undisclosed profitability, going concern questions, prior litigation for false statements, and missing critical financial disclosures creates meaningful investment risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
Bryan Hamilton and On Tap, Inc. v. JBR Enterprises, Inc., et al. (AAA Case No. 01-26-000502826, filed April 11, 2017). Former franchisees claimed misleading/false statements in franchise sale. Settled December 18, 2017 for $100,000 paid over five years. Settlement obligations fulfilled as of disclosure document issuance.
Largest disclosed settlement: $100,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Barnett & Stegall, 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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 70 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates potential financial distress or uncertainty at franchisor level
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosed — cannot validate $715,823 avg revenue claim or assess ROI feasibility
- 03HIGHLitigation history: 2017 arbitration case alleging misleading statements by franchisor; reputational and disclosure integrity concern
- 04MINORStagnant unit growth: Only 18 units with unknown trajectory suggests weak franchisee acquisition and retention
- 05MEDHigh initial investment ($914K-$1.67M) against undisclosed net income creates profitability blind spot
- 06MINOR5% royalty on net sales compounds risk if revenue projections are optimistic or territory underperforms
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 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 40,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Tennessee |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Bryan Hamilton and On Tap, Inc. v. JBR Enterprises, Inc., et al. (AAA Case No. 01-26-000502826, filed April 11, 2017). Former franchisees claimed misleading/false statements in franchise sale. Settled December 18, 2017 for $100,000 paid over five years. Settlement obligations fulfilled as of disclosure document issuance.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 130 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and franchisor location
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Heartland Restaurant POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Heartland Restaurant POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
25 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Casual Pint · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Casual Pint franchise?
The total investment to open a The Casual Pint franchise ranges from $915K – $1.7M, 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 The Casual Pint franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Casual Pint FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $716K. The median is $552K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is The Casual Pint's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, The Casual Pint has a charge-off rate of 9.1% across 14 loans, meaning 9.1% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many The Casual Pint franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Casual Pint has 18 total units in the United States, including 17 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is The Casual Pint a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Casual Pint as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 70 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.