The Pickle PadFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Pickle Pad franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.5M – $4.1M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 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 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.5M – $4.1M
- 37th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 23rd pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 6th pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 1
- 4th pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Recreation & Entertainment 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 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.5M – $4.1M including a $50K 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
- TPP Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- TPP Holding Company LLC
- Ultimate parent
- NRD Partners II, L.P.
- CEO title
- President
- Christopher Kuehn
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 12222 Merit Drive, Suite 1300, Dallas, Texas 75251
- Auditor
- Bennett Thrasher LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6K
- vs $0 prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- TPP IP
- described above has not owned
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
The Pickle Pad franchisees operate quick-service pickle-focused restaurants or retail concepts, likely preparing and selling pickled vegetables, pickle-based beverages, or complementary products. Day-to-day operations include inventory management of pickling supplies, food preparation/fermentation, customer service, and managing a small retail or counter-service location.
- CEO
- Christopher Kuehn
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 26 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Professional Fees (ADA) | $3K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (ADA) | $0 | $3K | |
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Real Estate Costs - 3 Month's Rent | $90K | $225K | |
| Architect and Design Plans | $35K | $100K | |
| License and Permits | $25K | $50K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $550K | $900K | |
| Court Finishing & Netting | $125K | $175K | |
| Kitchen & Bar Equipment | $150K | $225K | |
| Social Gaming | $75K | $150K | |
| Technology System | $25K | $65K | |
| Telephone/Security and Sound Systems | $25K | $50K | |
| Music Player System/Television | $75K | $100K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Other Equipment | $50K | $100K | |
| Signage | $35K | $75K | |
| Opening Inventory | $25K | $50K | |
| Birdie ParTee - Equipment, Signage, Inventory (Optional) | $0 | $1.3M | |
| Other Equipment (Optional) | $0 | $100K | |
| Insurance | $10K | $45K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.6M | $4.1M |
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
- $1.5M – $4.1M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $150K – $270K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · 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 | $250 |
| Training fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| 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 Recreation & Entertainment averages
How The Pickle Pad Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- 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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 10.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 7
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- California
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
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
The Pickle Pad presents HIGH RISK: a pre-scaled or stalled single-unit franchise with no performance data, questionable corporate finances, and massive capital requirements with unvalidated returns.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information provided in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Ruby Tuesday, Inc. and subsidiaries filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 7, 2020 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington), Case Nos. 1:20-BK-12456 to 1:20-BK-12507. Reorganization plan became effective February 24, 2021. Case closed December 10, 2021. Principal place of business: 333 East Broadway Avenue, Maryville, TN 37804 (Ruby Tuesday, Inc. and subsidiaries); 4170 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Suite #390, Atlanta, GA 30319 (RTI Holding Company LLC parent).
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Bennett Thrasher LLP
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 1 unit in entire system indicates brand is pre-revenue or failed to scale; no growth trajectory data provided
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is False, suggesting financial viability questions at corporate level
- 03MEDNo Item 19 (Average Revenue/Net Income) disclosed—impossible to validate ROI on $1.5M-$4M investment
- 04MEDHigh investment range ($1.5M-$4M) paired with 6% royalty on undisclosed revenue creates unpredictable cash flow
- 05MINOR10-year term with single-unit system suggests either new concept or struggling franchisor unable to attract operators
- 06HIGHNo litigation disclosed could indicate inadequate legal history or reporting; single unit makes disputes unlikely but not reassuring
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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Dallas, Texas |
| 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
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 31 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Time to open
- 18 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisor
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
20 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Pickle Pad · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Pickle Pad franchise?
The total investment to open a The Pickle Pad franchise ranges from $1.5M – $4.1M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Pickle Pad franchise owners earn?
The Pickle Pad 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 Pickle Pad's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Pickle Pad (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 Pickle Pad franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Pickle Pad has 1 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is The Pickle Pad a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Pickle Pad 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.