The Flying Biscuit Cafe Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $767K – $1.2M
- Disclosed sales
- $1.9M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- on 13 loans
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 →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2025 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - a newer filing may exist
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored6 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $767K – $1.2M
- 30th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.9M
- 9th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 35
- 25th 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 median · 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 $767K – $1.2M including a $45K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.9M/year.
- RISKVerdict 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).
- GROWTHPositive: net +1 franchised outlets in the latest year (1 opened, 0 closed); 9 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- FLAGItem 4 discloses a bankruptcy of an officer or of a company an officer ran, not of the franchisor. Review Item 4 for details.
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
- $4.4M
- vs $3.5M 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 runs 43% above the typical 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
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 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 |
| Inventory (initial) | $12K – $16K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 17% above the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for The Flying Biscuit Cafe until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$1.0M
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Flying Biscuit Cafe unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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
- Avg gross sales
- $1.9M
- Per unit/yr · from the Item 19 franchised-cohort breakdown (no single system-wide average disclosed)
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
- 26 outlets
- vs category median 18
- Range (low → high)
- $1.3M→$3.1MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 56 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $1.4M→$2.6M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · typical
Compared against 801 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 median).
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 medians
How The Flying Biscuit Cafe Compares
Category median of published Full-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
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
- N/A
- 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Signed, not yet open
- 9
- 0.26 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
0 current owners across 0 states; 4 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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%
- on 13 loans · 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)
- 100.0%
- 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for The Flying Biscuit Cafe from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
Top SBA lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cadence Bank | 3 | $2.6M | N/A |
| 2 | Renasant Bank | 2 | $802K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Stearns Bank National Association | 2 | $736K | 0.0% |
| 4 | Citizens Bank | 2 | $1.7M | 0.0% |
| 5 | Seacoast National Bank | 1 | $703K | N/A |
| 6 | The Huntington National Bank | 1 | $1.0M | N/A |
| 7 | Business Development Corporation of South Carolina | 1 | $627K | N/A |
| 8 | United Community Bank | 1 | $990K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALAlabama | 4 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FLFlorida | 2 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| SCSouth Carolina | 1 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
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)
Subject: an officer. An officer’s own bankruptcy or a company an officer ran, not the franchisor’s
Two affiliates (S&Q Shack, LLC and Raving Brands, Inc.) were placed into involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010 following 2009 petitions by creditor BV Retail, LLC; resolved via global settlement in 2016-2017
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Burns Herring, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Audited financial statements attached as Exhibit H were not captured in extracted text (image/table not OCR'd)
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 | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1.5 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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
- Site selection
- Franchisee proposes, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- 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
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.
Who owns The Flying Biscuit Cafe?
The Flying Biscuit Cafe is franchised by Flying Biscuit Franchising, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the The Flying Biscuit Cafe 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 The Flying Biscuit Cafe FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.