Wet Willie’sFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Wet Willie’s franchise requires a total initial investment of $717K – $1.6M, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.8M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $717K – $1.6M
- 39th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.8M
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 11
- 22nd 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 $717K – $1.6M including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.8M/year (median $1.7M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 34/100.
- No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Wet Willie’s Franchise Corp.
- Incorporated in
- GA
- HQ
- 11706 Mercy Boulevard, Building One, Savannah, Georgia 31419
- Auditor
- Hancock Askew & Co LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $441K
- vs $357K prior year
Overview
About
Wet Willie's operates casual beverage-focused restaurants or bars (likely daiquiri/frozen drink concept based on brand name) where franchisees manage daily operations including customer service, inventory, staffing, and local marketing. Franchisees depend on foot traffic in their protected territory and must maintain brand standards while operating independent locations.
- CEO
- William A. Dickinson
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 2006
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 6
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $25K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $657K | $1.5M |
| Total initial investment | $717K | $1.6M |
Source: Wet Willie’s 2023 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$319K
11.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
27%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $717K – $1.6M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $60K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
A 6.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.8M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.7M
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate and Franchisee Locations
- Sample size
- 11 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $376K→$4.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 6 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Wet Willie’s Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 11
- 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
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 18%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -33.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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
Wet Willie's presents elevated risk due to Going Concern status, undisclosed profitability, minimal unit growth, and lack of financial transparency needed to validate the $2.78M revenue claim against actual franchisee returns.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Hancock Askew & Co LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 34 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents ROI validation despite $2.78M avg revenue claim
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status indicates potential financial instability or solvency issues at corporate level
- 03MINOROnly 11 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests stagnant or contracting franchise system
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other franchisees in same market
- 05MINORWide investment range ($716.5K-$1.6M) with no correlation to unit economics or market size
- 06MINORHigh royalty burden (5% of gross) with unknown profitability makes breakeven analysis impossible
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 | 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 | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Chatham County, Georgia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Georgia |
| 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
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 290 hrs
- Training location
- Savannah, Georgia
- Field support
- 80 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- POS system
- MICROS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MICROS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Wet Willie’s · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Wet Willie’s franchise?
The total investment to open a Wet Willie’s franchise ranges from $717K – $1.6M, 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 Wet Willie’s franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Wet Willie’s FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.8M. The median is $1.7M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Wet Willie’s's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Wet Willie’s (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 Wet Willie’s franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Wet Willie’s has 11 total units in the United States, including 2 franchised units and 9 company-owned units.
Is Wet Willie’s a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Wet Willie’s as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 34 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.