Wing ZoneFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A WING ZONE franchise requires a total initial investment of $142K – $821K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $824K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 45.8% charge-off rate across 75 loans[1]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $142K – $821K
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $824K
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 31
- 32nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 45.8%
- system-wide median varies by category
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
45.8% of SBA loans charged off across 75 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Franchising since 1998. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $142K – $821K including a $40K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $824K/year (median $710K).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 75/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 45.8% across 75 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- 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
- WZ Franchise, LLC
- Parent company
- Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, Inc.
- CEO title
- Manager and Chief Executive Officer
- Ashley I. Morris
- Incorporated in
- GA
- HQ
- 6056 S. Durango Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89113
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.8M
- vs $3.8M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Wing Zone franchisees operate quick-service chicken wing restaurants, managing food preparation, inventory, customer service, and point-of-sale operations. Daily responsibilities include staffing management, food safety compliance, local marketing, and order fulfillment for dine-in, takeout, and delivery customers. Franchisees must maintain brand standards while operating within a competitive QSR market with thin margins.
- CEO
- Ashley I. Morris
- Headquarters
- NV
- Founded
- 1998
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 14
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $92K | $731K |
| Total initial investment | $142K | $821K |
Source: WING ZONE 2024 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
$66K
8.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
13%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $142K – $821K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.7%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $15K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 10.7% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $824K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $710K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 21 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $185K→$1.8M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Wing Zone Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 31
- Opened
- 10
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 7
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 22.6%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 10.7%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +11.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +3.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 21
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 22.6%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 20 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
- 75
- Loan volume
- $18.3M
- Median loan
- $160K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 45.8%
- 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)
- 54.2%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 37
- Defaults
- 27
Vintage analysis
Wing Zone charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Wing Zone'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
- 21-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 45.8% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 2 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Wing Zone presents a CAUTION-level risk profile due to missing profitability disclosure, corporate financial concerns, minimal system growth, unprotected territories, and aggressive royalty structure that may not justify the investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosure despite $824K average revenue claim — inability to verify profitability or validate earnings claims
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability at corporate level
- 03MEDSlow unit growth (11.1% YoY on only 31 units) suggests limited demand or franchisee satisfaction issues
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk and cannibalization within franchise system
- 05MINORWide investment range ($142K-$820.5K) indicates inconsistent unit economics and unclear cost structure
- 06MINORHigh royalty burden (6-7% weekly, not annually) compounds with other costs and reduces net margins significantly
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 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Nevada |
| 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
- 50 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 195 hrs
- Training location
- Las Vegas
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 80 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
60 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
WING ZONE · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a WING ZONE franchise?
The total investment to open a WING ZONE franchise ranges from $142K – $821K, 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 WING ZONE franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the WING ZONE FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $824K. The median is $710K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is WING ZONE's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, WING ZONE has a charge-off rate of 45.8% across 75 loans, meaning 45.8% 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 WING ZONE franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, WING ZONE has 31 total units in the United States, including 30 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 10 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is WING ZONE a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates WING ZONE as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 75 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.