Wahoo's Fish Taco
Bottom line
- Total investment $547K – $793K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 65/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 2 loans (below the industry average).
- System contracting at -14.8% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
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 Wahoo's Fish Taco unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
17%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Wahoo's Fish Taco franchisees operate quick-service seafood restaurants specializing in fish tacos, burritos, and coastal-themed Mexican cuisine. Day-to-day operations include food preparation, inventory management, customer service, staff supervision, and compliance with brand standards across a protected territorial location.
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 · 18 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.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining unit count, material litigation history, absence of financial disclosures (Item 19), and high capital requirements create a CAUTION-to-HIGH RISK profile requiring extensive due diligence before commitment.
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 8.0% YoY (42 units) indicating system contraction and potential market saturation or operational challenges
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial performance disclosures (Avg Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) prevents validation of ROI claims and profitability benchmarks
- 03HIGHTwo material litigation events including 2014 California Franchise Law violation arbitration settled with franchisee termination, suggesting potential compliance or relationship management issues
- 04MEDHigh investment range ($546,500–$792,500) combined with undisclosed income creates significant downside risk without transparent earnings data
- 05MINOR2021 personal injury lawsuit (settled $90,000) raises operational/training concerns around staff conduct and customer safety protocols
- 06HIGHGoing Concern status = False is ambiguous; requires clarification on franchisor financial health and viability
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
42 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Wahoo's Fish Taco · FDD (2024) PDF