Wild Bill'sFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Wild Bill's franchise requires a total initial investment of $156K – $215K, including a $40K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $156K – $215K
- 14th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 23rd pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 21
- 25th pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Recreation & Entertainment 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 $156K – $215K including a $40K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 41/100.
- System growing at 75.0% CAGR over 3 years with 21 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Wild Bill's Soda Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Bluewater, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Quilty
- Incorporated in
- NJ
- HQ
- 50 Division Avenue, Building 1, Suite 42, Millington, New Jersey 07946
- Auditor
- WithumSmith+Brown, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.3M
- vs $1.1M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- Bluewater
- maintains a pr
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Wild Bill's franchisees operate specialty retail or service locations (likely outdoor/sporting goods, jerky, or novelty merchandise based on brand name). Day-to-day operations involve inventory management, point-of-sale transactions, customer service, and compliance with brand standards while remitting royalties on third-party product sales.
- CEO
- Michael Quilty
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40K | $40K | |
| Construction, Leasehold Improvements, Furniture and Fixtures | $500 | $600 | |
| Equipment | $72K | $111K | |
| Mobile Stand Signage | $7K | $8K | |
| Computer, Software and Point of Sales System | $650 | $2K | |
| Opening Inventory | $14K | $17K | |
| Rent Deposits | $1K | $2K | |
| Utility Deposits | $50 | $250 | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums | $2K | $2K | |
| Initial Training Expenses | $100 | $5K | |
| Event Registration Fees | $5K | $10K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $3K | |
| Business Permits and Licenses | $250 | $400 | |
| Printing, Stationery and Office Supplies | $100 | $250 | |
| Additional funds - 3 Months | $11K | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $156K | $215K |
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
- $156K – $215K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $11K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Up to 5% of Gross Revenues for Third Party Products
- Ad fund
- 2000 per stand per year
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Currently no royalty payment. We reserve the right to implement a royalty payment up to 5% of your Gross Revenues for Third Party Products |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $6K |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Wild Bill's Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 21
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 9.5%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 67%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +7.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +75.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 6
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Ceased ops
- 9.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Wild Bill's presents caution-level risk due to lack of financial transparency, anemic unit growth, and ambiguous royalty terms that obscure true profitability potential.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Largest disclosed settlement: $130,500
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · WithumSmith+Brown, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- 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 41 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo financial performance disclosure (Item 19) — cannot validate $155-215K investment ROI claims
- 02MINORMinimal unit growth of 7.7% YoY with only 21 locations suggests weak system momentum or saturation
- 03MINORVague royalty structure ('Up to 5%') creates uncertainty around actual take-home margins for franchisees
- 04HIGHNo going concern statement is a yellow flag for financial stability of franchisor support infrastructure
- 05MINORHigh franchise fee ($40K) relative to small unit base raises questions about franchisor revenue model dependency
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | population and geography |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 200 mi |
| Territory population | 2,000,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 45 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and franchisor location
- POS system
- iPad Cash Register
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: iPad Cash Register
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Wild Bill's · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Wild Bill's franchise?
The total investment to open a Wild Bill's franchise ranges from $156K – $215K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Wild Bill's franchise owners earn?
Wild Bill's 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 Wild Bill's's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Wild Bill'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 Wild Bill's franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Wild Bill's has 21 total units in the United States, including 8 franchised units and 7 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Wild Bill's a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Wild Bill's as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 41 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.