Urban Wok Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $335K – $682K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (4)
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 on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: partial✓ 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $335K – $682K
- 54th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only1 outlet
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 90th 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 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 $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one outlet across three years and no summary statistic, so the stored range was the outer two of those years and is withdrawn.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).
- GROWTHPositive: net +2 franchised outlets in the latest year (3 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. 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
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2024 FDD
- 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
- $124K
- vs $63K 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 is about typical for a quick-service restaurants franchise (near the category median).
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 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 | |
| Total initial investment | $335K | $682K |
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%
- 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 – $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
No Item 19 revenue figure for Urban Wok is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Urban Wok 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 annual revenue, 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.
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
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 19 · small
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 781 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 median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
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 medians
How Urban Wok Compares
Category median of published Quick-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 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
- N/A
- 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 6
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
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
- Under 10 loans (4)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 4 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (4)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (4)
- 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.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
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
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
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 | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| 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 | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
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
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- 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?
Item 19 of the Urban Wok FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Urban Wok?
Urban Wok is franchised by Urban Wok Global Fusion, LLC. Its parent company is Urban Wok, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
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). 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Urban Wok, 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.