Bottom line
- Total investment $1.1M – $2.8M including a $60K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated CAUTION with a risk score of 74/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note — flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Wahlburgers unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
5%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Franchisees operate casual-dining burger restaurants under the Wahlburgers brand, managing full-service dining with branded menu items (inspired by celebrity chef Mark Wahlberg), overseeing staff, inventory, P&L, and customer service across 20-year terms in protected territories.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 22 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Wahlburgers presents extreme risk due to 80% unit collapse, undisclosed financials, prior litigation, and going concern status—indicating a franchisee population exodus and potential franchisor instability.
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 100 rating
- 01MEDCatastrophic unit decline of 80.2% YoY (25 units remaining) signals systemic franchise failure or major restructuring
- 02MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income prevents ROI validation; 8% royalty on unknown sales is impossible to model
- 03HIGHLitigation history (2017 fiduciary duty breach, $900K settlement) indicates governance issues and potential franchisor credibility problems
- 04HIGHGoing concern status suggests financial distress at corporate level, threatening operational support and brand viability
- 05MINORHigh total investment ($1.08M–$2.8M) combined with declining system creates disproportionate risk exposure
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
94 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Wahlburgers · FDD (2025) PDF