Quick Verdict · who it fits
Carvel Franchisor SPV LLC fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$39K - $1.1M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$36K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 3% ad
Item 19 median rev
$470k
System size (Item 20)
359 +35
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Where units actually land — not just the headline average.
P25
$84k
Median
$470k
P75
$1.46M
▪ n = 104 units · Fiscal Year 2025 · Source: 2026 FDD Item 19
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 3% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$470,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (3%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
360
Total units open
35
Units opened last year
4
Units closed last year
+24
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Carvel ranks against 561 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
6th pct · of 561 peers
Franchise fee
52nd pct · of 561 peers
System size
85th pct · of 561 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$594K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$44K
Avg system size
346
Franchises analyzed
561
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carvel | Disclosed | $36K | $39K - $1.1M | 6% | 359 |
| Playa BowlsSimilar price | Disclosed | $35K | $282K - $1.1M | 6% | 342 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | Disclosed | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Carvel Franchisor SPV LLC requires a $35,500 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $38,850–$1,051,200, per the most recent FDD on file.
Yes. Carvel Franchisor SPV LLC discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $469,711. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% of Net Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 3% of Net Sales on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Carvel Franchisor SPV LLC has 359 total locations, with 35 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt