Wagbar Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Wagbar is a recreation franchise operating dog-park bars where guests enjoy drinks while dogs play off-leash. Franchisees run the venues, managing the bar, dog park, memberships, and events.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Wagbar franchise requires a total initial investment of $472K – $1.1M, including a $50K 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
- $472K – $1.1M
- 22nd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only1 outlet
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 1
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-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 $472K – $1.1M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% 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 '$410K' was OUR THREE-YEAR MEAN of one outlet ($409,785). The Item 19 table on p38 is a RASTER IMAGE - the page's first text word starts below it and the text is only 'Notes 1-7' referring to 'The table above' - and rendered at 5x it prints Sales $430,667.50 (2021), $405,983.47 (2022) and $392,702.72 (2023). The stored range was the outer two years with cents truncated, and THE MIDDLE YEAR, $405,983, IS MISSING FROM THIS ROW ENTIRELY.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 45/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports Historic P&L of affiliate 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
- Wagbar Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Kendal Kulp
- CEO experience
- 5 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- NC
- HQ
- 34 Magnolia Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kendal Kulp
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 31% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $75K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $392K | $1.0M |
| Total initial investment | $472K | $1.1M |
Source: Wagbar 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $472K – $1.1M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $75K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $600 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Wagbar 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 Wagbar unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
10%
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 '$410K' was OUR THREE-YEAR MEAN of one outlet ($409,785). The Item 19 table on p38 is a RASTER IMAGE - the page's first text word starts below it and the text is only 'Notes 1-7' referring to 'The table above' - and rendered at 5x it prints Sales $430,667.50 (2021), $405,983.47 (2022) and $392,702.72 (2023). The stored range was the outer two years with cents truncated, and THE MIDDLE YEAR, $405,983, IS MISSING FROM THIS ROW ENTIRELY.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- Historic P&L of affiliate outlet
- Sample size
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 18 · small
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 805 Full-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 7.0% (near the Full-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Historic P&L of affiliate outlet rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Wagbar Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
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
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
Item 12 · 1 state 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.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Pre-opening dog-park/bar franchisor that began franchising in 2023 with only 1 company-owned unit and 0 franchised units. No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern issues, and financials are audited with Item 19 disclosed. Base risk reflects limited operating history rather than any distress.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
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 45 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPre-opening (is_pre_opening=true), only 1 total unit, 0 franchised
- 02MEDBegan franchising 2023 - very limited track record
- 03MEDClean: 0 litigation, no bankruptcy, no going-concern, audited financials, Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% 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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Population-based radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Asheville, North Carolina |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 22 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and classroom
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
2 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Wagbar · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Wagbar franchise?
The total investment to open a Wagbar franchise ranges from $472K – $1.1M, 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 Wagbar franchise owners earn?
Wagbar 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 Wagbar 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 Wagbar FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Wagbar's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Wagbar (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 Wagbar franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Wagbar has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Wagbar a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Wagbar as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 45 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?
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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.