The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs
Bottom line
- Total investment $253K – $561K including a $30K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated CAUTION with a risk score of 72/100.
- System contracting at -54.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
22%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Franchisees operate submarine sandwich restaurants branded as The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs, focusing on customizable subs and likely casual dining service. Daily operations include food prep, inventory management, staffing, and customer service in a quick-service or fast-casual format. Franchisees are responsible for rent, labor, local marketing, and compliance with brand standards while remitting 6% royalties on gross sales (minimum $200/week).
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Dave's Cosmic Subs exhibits high investment risk due to 15.4% YoY unit decline, absence of financial performance data, unprotected territory, and weak system fundamentals despite no litigation history.
Score breakdown · what drove the 72 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem contracted 15.4% YoY (21 units down from ~25); indicates declining franchise appeal and potential systemic issues
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed in FDD Item 19; impossible to validate ROI or assess unit-level profitability
- 03MINORNo protected territory; franchisees face direct competition from other Dave's Cosmic Subs locations and company-owned stores
- 04MINORWide investment range ($253K–$561K) suggests inconsistent build-out costs, site variability, or hidden expenses
- 05HIGHGoing Concern flag is FALSE, but combined with unit contraction, suggests franchisor may lack financial stability or growth strategy
- 06MINORMinimum weekly royalty of $200 ($10,400/year) mandatory even during slow periods; creates fixed cost burden on underperforming units
- 07MED10-year term is long commitment into a shrinking system with no exit clarity or buyback provisions disclosed
- 08MINORLow franchisee count (21 units) limits peer support network and increases isolation risk for new franchisees
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
11 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs · FDD (2024) PDF