The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Dave's Cosmic Subs is a quick-service franchise serving toasted submarine sandwiches with its signature cosmic sauce. Franchisees run the shops, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs franchise requires a total initial investment of $253K – $561K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $253K – $561K
- 38th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 21
- 50th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-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
- COSTTotal investment $253K – $561K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGAuditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- SRC DCS, LLC
- Predecessor
- Famous Dave's Franchise Corporation; DaveMar Corporation; Cosmic Dave's, LLC; Famous Dave's Corporation
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Navpaul Sidhu
- Incorporated in
- Ohio
- HQ
- 7361 Daisy's Wood Lane, Gates Mills, Ohio 44040
- Auditor
- ALAN V JANUZZI
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $248K
- vs $652K prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2024
- Status as of 2024; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Navpaul Sidhu
- Headquarters
- OH
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 38% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Training expensesnot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Rental Costsnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Construction, remodeling, leasehold improvements and decorating costsnot refundable | $65K | $250K | |
| Architectural Feesnot refundable | $6K | $10K | |
| Equipment, furniture and fixtures, signage, point of sale system, security system and sound systemnot refundable | $82K | $85K | |
| Digital menu boardsnot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Start-up Inventory/Suppliesnot refundable | $8K | $15K | |
| Uniforms (shirts and hats)not refundable | $300 | $520 | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $8K | $15K | |
| Security deposits, utility deposits, business formation and licenses, and other prepaid expensesnot refundable | $1K | $4K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Insurance - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Additional funds (initial period - 3 months)not refundable | $29K | $109K | |
| Total initial investment | $253K | $561K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $253K – $561K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $29K – $109K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Percentage of gross sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 12.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 12.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
20%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 12.0% — above the Quick-Service Restaurants average of 7.9%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 21
- 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
- 10
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 52%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 2
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 6
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 84.6%
- Units that stayed open
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.
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.
What could kill this investment?
The auditor flagged going-concern doubt (Item 21) — the single biggest risk here.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Auditor raised a going-concern note (going_concern_note=true) and this is NOT an early-stage startup (franchising since 2000). Despite positive equity of $644,539 and net income of $68,209, the going-concern doubt plus system contraction (21 units, -12.5%) and no Item 19 elevate risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · ALAN V JANUZZI⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 41 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORGoing-concern note raised by auditor (est. 2000, not early-stage)
- 02MINORSystem shrinking: net_growth_pct -12.5%, 21 units
- 03MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 12.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · 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 | radial |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1.5 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 28 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- Toast, Inc.
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast, Inc.
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
12 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs franchise?
The total investment to open a The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs franchise ranges from $253K – $561K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs franchise owners earn?
The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs 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 Item 19 in the The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs 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 Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs (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 Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs has 21 total units in the United States, including 11 franchised units and 10 company-owned units.
Is The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 41 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent The Original Dave’s Cosmic Subs, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Quick-Service Restaurants category
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.