Wayback BurgersFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Wayback Burgers franchise requires a total initial investment of $256K – $850K, including a $35K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 21.1% charge-off rate across 108 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $256K – $850K
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 180
- 80th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 21.1%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
21.1% of SBA loans charged off across 108 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Franchised units fell from 179 to 158 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $256K – $850K including a $35K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 21.1% across 108 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System contracting at -11.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Wayback Franchising LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- John Eucalitto
- CEO experience
- 16 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 716 South Main Street, Cheshire, CT 06410
- Auditor
- UHY LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.0M
- vs $9.4M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate fast-casual burger restaurants featuring made-to-order Angus beef burgers, hand-cut fries, and milkshakes. Day-to-day operations include food prep/assembly, counter service or drive-through transactions, inventory management, staff scheduling, and local marketing to drive traffic and sales.
- CEO
- John Eucalitto
- Headquarters
- CT
- Founded
- 2002
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 33
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $201K | $755K |
| Total initial investment | $256K | $850K |
Source: Wayback Burgers 2025 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
- $256K – $850K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- the greater of 5% of weekly Gross Sales or $400 per week
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 5% of weekly Gross Sales or $400 per week |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $4K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Wayback Burgers Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 180
- Opened
- 25
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 10
- Terminated
- 5
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 5.6%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +3.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -11.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
- Transfer rate
- 3.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 94.7%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 3.3%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 2.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 33 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 contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 108
- Loan volume
- $30.4M
- Median loan
- $320K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 21.1%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 81.8%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 20.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 37
- Defaults
- 12
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Wayback Burgers's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 8-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 21.1% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 5 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Wayback Burgers presents meaningful caution-level risk due to declining unit count, undisclosed financials, unprotected territories, and corporate financial uncertainty masking franchisee profitability and viability.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · UHY LLP
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: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 3.7% YoY (180 units), indicating system contraction and potential franchisee struggles
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation and raises transparency concerns
- 03MINORWide investment range ($256K–$850K) suggests inconsistent startup costs and undefined unit economics
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other Wayback franchisees in same market
- 05MINORMinimum $400/week royalty (5% or higher) represents fixed overhead regardless of sales performance
- 06MINOR20-year term is unusually long for QSR franchise with shrinking unit base
- 07HIGHNo going concern status may indicate financial instability at corporate level or inability to support franchisees
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | county of our principal place of business |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Connecticut |
| 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
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 100 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Time to open
- 16 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
148 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Wayback Burgers · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Wayback Burgers franchise?
The total investment to open a Wayback Burgers franchise ranges from $256K – $850K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Wayback Burgers franchise owners earn?
Wayback Burgers 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 Wayback Burgers's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Wayback Burgers has a charge-off rate of 21.1% across 108 loans, meaning 21.1% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Wayback Burgers franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Wayback Burgers has 180 total units in the United States, including 179 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 25 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Wayback Burgers a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Wayback Burgers as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 out of 100, 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.
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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.