Quick Verdict · who it fits
Culver's fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$3.4M - $10.3M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$65K
Royalty (Item 6)
4% + 2.5% ad
System size (Item 20)
1,041
Model Culver's's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
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.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 4% + ad fund 2.5% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (4%)
—
Ad fund (2.5%)
—
Total / year
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▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
1,041
Total units open
45 franchised units
Units opened last year
1 franchised unit
Units closed last year
44 units
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Culver's ranks against 788 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
98th pct · of 788 peers
Franchise fee
97th pct · of 788 peers
System size
94th pct · of 788 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$583K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$37K
Avg system size
244
Franchises analyzed
788
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culver's | Disclosed | $65K | $3.4M - $10.3M | 4% | 1,041 |
| LarksSimilar price | Disclosed | $40K | $1.9M - $12.4M | 7% | 1 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | None | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
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Brand Analysis
Chipotle reported 4,186 company-operated restaurants and 15 international licensed restaurants as of June 30, 2026. None are franchised, there is no FDD, and there is nothing to apply for. Qdoba is the franchised version of the same order line, and its 12/25 FDD puts a traditional restaurant at $548,100 to $1,294,000.
Brand Analysis
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. reported 656 company-operated stores in 43 states as of January 30, 2026, and the brand has never sold a franchise. Huddle House and Another Broken Egg cover the same daypart with filed FDDs, at $555,375 to $1,715,275 and $792,500 to $1,804,000.
Brand Analysis
The Häagen-Dazs Shoppe Company franchises the ice cream shops on a $30,000 fee and a 4% royalty, with a 2026 Item 7 range of $213,329 to $591,579. The trademark belongs to a different company, and the ice cream you are required to buy comes from a third.
Culver's requires a $65,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $3,406,350–$10,294,100, per the most recent FDD on file.
Culver's is franchised by CULVER FRANCHISING SYSTEM LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. Culver's discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 4% and an advertising fund contribution of 2.5% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Culver's has 1,041 total locations. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt