Urban Wok Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Urban Wok is a fast-casual franchise serving customizable wok-fired Asian noodle and rice bowls. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Urban Wok franchise requires a total initial investment of $335K – $682K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $335K – $682K
- 55th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only1 outlet
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 86th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 8
- 33rd 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 $335K – $682K including a $40K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAn earlier version of this note quoted a dollar figure that APPEARS NOWHERE IN THE FILING - verified in comma, no-comma and period-for-comma form and against a de-punctuated digit stream, across every page. It was our own arithmetic published as the franchisor's disclosure. The '$698K' was OUR THREE-YEAR MEAN of one outlet ($698,264), not a printed average and not the midpoint the screen first called it. Item 19 discloses one outlet across three years and no summary statistic, so the stored range was the outer two of those years and is withdrawn. The blob's own revenue_footnote describes the franchisor's ITEM 21 financials rather than Item 19.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 54/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports Historical performance of affiliate-owned outlet rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Urban Wok Global Fusion, LLC
- Parent company
- Urban Wok, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer / Founder
- Mark Toth
- Incorporated in
- Minnesota
- HQ
- 209 4th Street East, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101
- Auditor
- REESE CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $63K
- vs $124K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mark Toth
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 23% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40K | $40K | |
| Your Training Expenses | $3K | $6K | |
| On-Site Trainer Travel Expenses | $5K | $10K | |
| Lease & Utilities deposits | $10K | $42K | |
| Architectural Plans | $8K | $8K | |
| Leasehold Improvements, Construction, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $175K | $450K | |
| Construction Project Management Fee | $0 | $7K | |
| Real Estate Management Fee | $2K | $2K | |
| Signage | $10K | $12K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $3K | $5K | |
| Toast POS | $9K | $9K | |
| Security Systems | $3K | $5K | |
| Initial Inventory | $5K | $5K | |
| Professional Fees | $7K | $7K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $3K | $3K | |
| Insurance | $3K | $3K | |
| Operating Expenses / Additional Funds - 3 months | $50K | $70K | |
| Development Fee (Multi-Unit Development Agreement) | $96K | $96K | |
| Cost of first Urban Wok Franchised Business (Multi-Unit) | $295K | $642K | |
| Total initial investment | $725K | $1.4M |
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
- $335K – $682K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $70K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Urban Wok 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 Urban Wok unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
18%
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
An earlier version of this note quoted a dollar figure that APPEARS NOWHERE IN THE FILING - verified in comma, no-comma and period-for-comma form and against a de-punctuated digit stream, across every page. It was our own arithmetic published as the franchisor's disclosure. The '$698K' was OUR THREE-YEAR MEAN of one outlet ($698,264), not a printed average and not the midpoint the screen first called it. Item 19 discloses one outlet across three years and no summary statistic, so the stored range was the outer two of those years and is withdrawn. The blob's own revenue_footnote describes the franchisor's ITEM 21 financials rather than Item 19.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- Historical performance of affiliate-owned outlet
- Sample size
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 20 · small
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
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 8.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Historical performance of affiliate-owned outlet rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +300.0% over 3 years (3 opened, 0 closed).
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 Urban Wok Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 8
- Opened
- 3
- 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
- 88%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 3
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 3 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
3
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- $1.3M
- Median loan
- $178K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (4 loans) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Small system (8 units) with negative franchisor net worth of -$18,528 and a net loss of -$44,079 on $124,130 revenue. No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern doubt, and Item 19 is disclosed with avg gross sales of $627,241. Thin financials plus negative equity stack two concerns.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · REESE CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 54 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative franchisor net worth: -$18,528
- 02MINORNet loss: -$44,079 on revenue of $124,130
- 03MINORSmall system: 8 units (7 franchised)
- 04MEDNo litigation/bankruptcy/going-concern; Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 | Zip codes / Radius / Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 112 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 112 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant and at franchisor's location
- POS system
- Toast POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast POS
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Urban Wok franchise?
The total investment to open a Urban Wok franchise ranges from $335K – $682K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Urban Wok franchise owners earn?
Urban Wok 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 Urban Wok 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 Urban Wok FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Urban Wok's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Urban Wok (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 Urban Wok franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Urban Wok has 8 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Urban Wok a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Urban Wok as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 54 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 Urban Wok, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.