The Empanada MakerFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A THE EMPANADA MAKER franchise requires a total initial investment of $246K – $554K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $246K – $554K
- 14th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 2
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $246K – $554K including a $40K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 87/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- THE EMPANADA MAKER FRANCHISE GROUP, LLC
- CEO title
- Owner and Manager
- Cameron Davis
- CEO experience
- 11 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 26131 La Paz Rd., Unit B3, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate quick-service empanada restaurants, managing food preparation, counter service, and inventory for a Latin American baked good concept. Daily operations include preparing empanada fillings, managing a small front-of-house team, handling POS transactions, and maintaining food safety/storage protocols. Likely positioned as a kiosk, cart, or small footprint quick-service model.
- CEO
- Cameron Davis
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2024
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $39K | $74K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $167K | $440K |
| Total initial investment | $246K | $554K |
Source: THE EMPANADA MAKER 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $246K – $554K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $39K – $74K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- 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 | $100 |
| Transfer fee | $30K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How The Empanada Maker Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- 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
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 25.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 4
- 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
Extremely early-stage micro-franchise with undisclosed unit economics, unproven scalability (2 units only), franchisor financial instability, and zero transparent profitability data—suitable only for risk-tolerant investors willing to essentially beta-test an unvalidated concept.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information provided in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Owner and Manager Cameron Davis filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition on October 28, 2016 in Central District of California (Case Number 8:16-bk-14450-ES). Court granted discharge on January 12, 2022 under 11 U.S.C. § 1328(a).
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
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 87 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 2 units in system with unknown/stagnant growth trajectory suggests minimal market validation and scalability concerns
- 02MINORNo Item 19 (Average Revenue/Net Income) disclosure means no transparency on actual franchisee profitability—critical red flag for $246k-$554k investment
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability at franchisor level and risk of system collapse
- 04MEDWide investment range spread ($308k delta) with no disclosed average revenues makes ROI projection impossible and suggests inconsistent unit economics
- 05MINOROnly 2 operating units provide no meaningful sample size to validate the business model's viability or franchisee success rates
- 06MINORMicro-franchise system with minimal brand recognition limits economies of scale, supply chain leverage, and marketing ROI
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 | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Population-based/Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 30,000 |
| 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 | 45 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Orange County, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information provided in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 8 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
THE EMPANADA MAKER · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a THE EMPANADA MAKER franchise?
The total investment to open a THE EMPANADA MAKER franchise ranges from $246K – $554K, 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 EMPANADA MAKER franchise owners earn?
THE EMPANADA MAKER 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 THE EMPANADA MAKER's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for THE EMPANADA MAKER (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 THE EMPANADA MAKER franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, THE EMPANADA MAKER has 2 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 2 company-owned units.
Is THE EMPANADA MAKER a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates THE EMPANADA MAKER as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 87 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.
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.