Moe's Southwest Grill Franchise Review & Verdict (2026)

Product details

Contents

Key facts


The Verdict

Quick Verdict · who it fits

Moe's Southwest Grill fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature food & beverage concept.

✓ Strengths

Key FDD Facts

The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.

Initial investment (Item 7)

$644K - $2.0M

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$36K

Royalty (Item 6)

5% + 3–4% ad

Item 19 median rev

$1.14M Traditional Franchises

System size (Item 20)

563 +15

Model Moe's Southwest Grill'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.

Item 19 revenue distribution

Where units actually land — not just the headline average.

P25

$719k

Median

$1.14M

P75

$1.75M

▪ n = 463 units · Traditional Franchises · Fiscal Year 2025 · Source: 2026 FDD Item 19

What you'd pay the franchisor

Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 5% + ad fund 3–4% on gross sales.

PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$1,140,000

$100k$2.1M

Royalty (5%)

—

Ad fund (3–4%)

—

Total / year

—

▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration

Executive Summary

Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.

Key Numbers

568

Total units open

15

Units opened last year

40

Units closed last year

-28

Net unit growth

AI Due Diligence Findings PREMIUM

What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.

5

Risks to review

4

Strengths identified

5

Questions to ask

Industry Benchmarks

How Moe's Southwest Grill ranks against 788 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.

Initial investment

78th pct · of 788 peers

Franchise fee

52nd pct · of 788 peers

System size

91st pct · of 788 peers

Food & Beverage industry averages

Avg investment

$583K - $1.4M

Avg franchise fee

$37K

Avg system size

244

Franchises analyzed

788

How Moe's Southwest Grill stacks up

Closest concepts by category and investment.

Brand Item 19 Fee Investment Royalty Units
Moe's Southwest Grill Disclosed $36K $644K - $2.0M 5% 563
Pizzaexpress US LimitedSimilar price Disclosed $20K $932K - $2.0M 4–6% 0
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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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Moe's Southwest Grill franchise cost?

Moe's Southwest Grill requires a $35,500 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $644,425–$1,968,450, per the most recent FDD on file.

Who owns Moe's Southwest Grill?

Moe's Southwest Grill is franchised by MOE'S FRANCHISOR SPV 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.

Does Moe's Southwest Grill disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Yes. Moe's Southwest Grill discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $1,137,571. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.

What ongoing fees does Moe's Southwest Grill charge?

Franchisees pay a royalty of 5% and an advertising fund contribution of 3.0% to 4.0% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.

How many Moe's Southwest Grill locations are there?

As of their 2026 FDD, Moe's Southwest Grill has 563 total locations, with 15 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.

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