Is Mellow Mushroom or Sedona Taphouse cheaper to open?

Mellow Mushroom costs $1,330,000–$2,916,500 and Sedona Taphouse costs $1,667,000–$2,510,000 to open (FDD Item 7). Mellow Mushroom has the lower entry cost.

Which is safer, Mellow Mushroom or Sedona Taphouse?

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 15.0% for Mellow Mushroom and 0.0% for Sedona Taphouse. Lower is safer, so Sedona Taphouse has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Which is the better franchise, Mellow Mushroom or Sedona Taphouse?

FranchiseVerdict grades Mellow Mushroom B and Sedona Taphouse A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Mellow Mushroom vs Sedona Taphouse

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Mellow Mushroom and Sedona Taphouse are full-service restaurants franchises. Mellow Mushroom requires an investment of $1.3M – $2.9M while Sedona Taphouse requires $1.7M – $2.5M. Mellow Mushroom discloses average revenue of $2.7M; Sedona Taphouse does not report Item 19 data. On SBA loan performance, Sedona Taphouse has a lower charge-off rate (0.0%) compared to Mellow Mushroom (15.0%). FranchiseVerdict rates Mellow Mushroom B (Above average) and Sedona Taphouse A (Strongest tier).

Metric	Mellow Mushroom	Sedona Taphouse
Verdict Grade	BAbove averageAbove average	AStrongest tierStrongest tier
Investment Range	$1.3M – $2.9M	$1.7M – $2.5M
Franchise Fee	$50K	$35K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	4.5%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$2.7M	N/A
SBA Charge-Off Rate	15.0% (142 loans)	0.0% (11 loans)
Total Units	161	17
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1987	2014
FDD Year	2026	2025