The Flying Biscuit Cafe Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Flying Biscuit Cafe is a full-service franchise serving all-day breakfast and brunch built around its signature scratch-made biscuits. Franchisees run the cafes, managing the kitchen, table service, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Flying Biscuit Cafe franchise requires a total initial investment of $767K – $1.2M, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.9M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 13 loans[1]. 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
- $767K – $1.2M
- 43rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.9M
- 20th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 35
- 34th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
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
- Total investment $767K – $1.2M including a $45K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.9M/year.
- Verdict B (Above average), verdict score 55/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 13 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Flying Biscuit Franchising, Inc.
- CEO title
- President
- Daryl Dollinger
- Incorporated in
- Georgia
- HQ
- 6090 Roswell Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30328
- Auditor
- Burns Herring, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.5M
- vs $4.4M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Daryl Dollinger
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 2006
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 6
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
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45K | $45K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $40K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $692K | $1.1M |
| Total initial investment | $767K | $1.2M |
Source: The Flying Biscuit Cafe 2025 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
- $767K – $1.2M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $23K |
| Renewal fee | $45K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 22% above the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
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
$206K
11.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
21%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.9 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.9M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 30 units
- vs category median 16
- Range (low → high)
- $1.3M→$3.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $1.4M→$2.6M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 1273 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.9M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.9x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% (near the Full-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 3/10 — moderate disclosure depth. Average and range data are available but detailed cohort breakdowns may be limited.
Operator retention
System expanding at 28.6% CAGR over 3 years across 35 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 The Flying Biscuit Cafe Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 35
- Opened
- 1
- 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
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 77%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +28.6%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +28.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 2.9%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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.
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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 13
- Loan volume
- $9.2M
- Median loan
- $711K
- average
- 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
- 8
- Defaults
- 0
Vintage analysis
The Flying Biscuit Cafe charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing The Flying Biscuit Cafe franchisees
Showing 3 of 8 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into The Flying Biscuit Cafe's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 8 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 13 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Negative franchisor equity of -$689,783 despite positive $1.86M net income and $4.4M revenue. Bankruptcy/litigation involve affiliates (S&Q Shack, Raving Brands) from 2009-2010, fully settled and dismissed by 2016-2017, so low weight. Two stacked minor concerns: negative equity and old affiliate bankruptcy.
Litigation (Item 3)
Adversary Proceeding No. 12-05429 filed August 24, 2012 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Northern District of Georgia. Bankruptcy Trustee sued franchisor's affiliates, officers, and directors alleging fraudulent transfers, constructively fraudulent transfers, and wrongful distributions related to sale of S&Q Shack, LLC to Edmonds Capital Fund I, LLC. Claims included improper debt forgiveness and distribution of sale proceeds. Proceeding stayed pending completion of underlying bankruptcy litigation.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Burns Herring, 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: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative equity -$689,783
- 02MINOROld affiliate bankruptcies (2010) settled 2016-17 — low weight
- 03MEDPositive net income $1.86M, $4.4M revenue, audited, Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% 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 | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1.5 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 3 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | office of the American Arbitration Association closest to our principal executive office |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Georgia |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Adversary Proceeding No. 12-05429 filed August 24, 2012 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Northern District of Georgia. Bankruptcy Trustee sued franchisor's affiliates, officers, and directors alleging fraudulent transfers, constructively fraudulent transfers, and wrongful distributions related to sale of S&Q Shack, LLC to Edmonds Capital Fund I, LLC. Claims included improper debt forgiveness and distribution of sale proceeds. Proceeding stayed pending completion of underlying bankruptcy litigation.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 350 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Postec, Inc. / MICROS / MyMicros.net
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Postec, Inc. / MICROS / MyMicros.net
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
4 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Flying Biscuit Cafe · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Flying Biscuit Cafe franchise?
The total investment to open a The Flying Biscuit Cafe franchise ranges from $767K – $1.2M, 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 The Flying Biscuit Cafe franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Flying Biscuit Cafe FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.9M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is The Flying Biscuit Cafe's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, The Flying Biscuit Cafe has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 13 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 Flying Biscuit Cafe franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Flying Biscuit Cafe has 35 total units in the United States, including 27 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is The Flying Biscuit Cafe a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Flying Biscuit Cafe as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 55 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.