We Dat’s Chicken and ShrimpFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp franchise requires a total initial investment of $181K – $282K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $181K – $282K
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 42nd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 4
- 10th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-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
Bottom line
- Total investment $181K – $282K including a $30K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 65/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- WeDats Franchise Holdings LLC
- Incorporated in
- LA
- HQ
- 1407 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
- Auditor
- HMS Schafer Group, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- We Dat Food Truck
- WeDats Franchise Holdings
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate quick-service restaurant locations specializing in chicken and shrimp dishes. Day-to-day operations include food preparation, inventory management, customer service, point-of-sale operations, and adherence to franchisor brand standards across a protected territory.
- CEO
- Gregoire Tillery
- Headquarters
- LA
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $30K | $30K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $3K | $5K | |
| Real Estate Rent Deposits and Pre-Paid Expenses (3 months) | $6K | $18K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Decor | $15K | $25K | |
| Construction of Leasehold Improvements | $10K | $20K | |
| Inventory and Supplies | $10K | $16K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $500 | $2K | |
| Grand Opening | $5K | $7K | |
| Insurance (3 months) | $750 | $2K | |
| Architectural/Engineering | $20K | $40K | |
| Equipment, TV, Cameras, and other Supplies | $45K | $60K | |
| POS System | $2K | $6K | |
| Signage | $7K | $8K | |
| Accountant and Attorney Fees | $2K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $25K | $40K | |
| Area Development Feenot refundable | $30K | $60K | |
| Total initial investment | $211K | $342K |
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
- $181K – $282K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $6K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $16K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 10 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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage, financially opaque franchisor with only 4 units, undisclosed financials, and going concern issues presents substantial risk of franchisor failure and franchisee investment loss.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $30,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · HMS Schafer Group, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests material financial instability or uncertainty at franchisor level
- 02MEDOnly 4 units system-wide indicates minimal scale, limited brand recognition, and unproven replicable model
- 03MEDItem 19 (Average Revenue/Net Income) not disclosed — impossible to validate unit economics or ROI on $181k-$282k investment
- 04MINOR7% royalty on unknown revenue base creates unpredictable franchisor support funding and ongoing profitability risk
- 05MEDNo disclosed unit growth trajectory — cannot assess whether system is expanding, stagnant, or contracting
- 06MEDExtremely small franchise system (4 units) means limited operational data, weak purchasing power, and high failure risk if any unit closes
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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius/Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 30,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Louisiana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 48 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Site selection
- joint
- POS system
- Toast POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast POS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
10 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp franchise?
The total investment to open a We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp franchise ranges from $181K – $282K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp franchise owners earn?
We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp 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 We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp (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 We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp has 4 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 4 company-owned units.
Is We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 65 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.
For franchisors
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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.