Is AR Workshop or Wild Bill's cheaper to open?

AR Workshop costs $134,312–$229,708 and Wild Bill's costs $155,800–$214,700 to open (FDD Item 7). AR Workshop has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, AR Workshop or Wild Bill's?

FranchiseVerdict grades AR Workshop B and Wild Bill's A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

AR Workshop vs Wild Bill's

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both AR Workshop and Wild Bill's are recreation & entertainment franchises. AR Workshop requires an investment of $134K – $230K while Wild Bill's requires $156K – $215K. AR Workshop discloses average revenue of $128K; Wild Bill's makes no financial performance representation in its Item 19, which is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule. AR Workshop has SBA lending data on file with a 9.1% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates AR Workshop B (Above average) and Wild Bill's A (Strongest tier).

Metric	AR Workshop	Wild Bill's
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	AStrongest tier
Investment Range	$134K – $230K	$156K – $215K
Franchise Fee	$35K	$40K
Royalty Rate	6.0%	Up to 5% of Gross Revenues for Third Party Products
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$128K	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	9.1% (19 loans)	Limited data
Total Units	115	21
Unit Growth (YoY)	-9 units	+1 units
Year Began Franchising	2017	2014
FDD Year	2024	2025