Big Air Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Big Air franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Big Air discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
15 franchises operating 12+ months in 2025. Tier 1 avg profit $1.04M, Tier 2 $614K, Tier 3 $111K. Gross revenue ranges $1.85M-$4.47M. No assurance you'll earn these amounts.
What a Big Air franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $2,511,500 – $4,570,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Plus 1% national marketing fee starting Jan 2025. Major upgrade $200K-$300K year 3. POS/tech fees $1.5K/month.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Big Air system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 21 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 4.8% of outlets |
1 ceased operations 2025. No terminations. 1 transfer. System growing: +5 outlets 2024-2025.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Big Air worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $2,511,500 | pricier than 94% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 84% of other franchises franchises |
| Closure rate | 4.8% of outlets | worse than 71% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Big Air
The franchisor's framing: 15 franchises operating 12+ months in 2025. Tier 1 avg profit $1.04M, Tier 2 $614K, Tier 3… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Big Air franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Big Air franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $2,511,500–$4,570,000, including a $60,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Big Air franchise owners make?
- 15 franchises operating 12+ months in 2025. Tier 1 avg profit $1.04M, Tier 2 $614K, Tier 3 $111K. Gross revenue ranges $1.85M-$4.47M. No assurance you'll earn these amounts. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Big Air franchise fees?
- Big Air's FDD discloses a $60,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Plus 1% national marketing fee starting Jan 2025. Major upgrade $200K-$300K year 3. POS/tech fees $1.5K/month.
- What is the Big Air franchise profit margin?
- Big Air does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 15 franchises operating 12+ months in 2025. Tier 1 avg profit $1.04M, Tier 2 $614K, Tier 3 $111K. Gross revenue ranges $1.85M-$4.47M. No assurance you'll earn these amounts. Recurring fees alone take about 8% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Big Air franchise failure rate?
- 1 ceased operations 2025. No terminations. 1 transfer. System growing: +5 outlets 2024-2025.
- How many Big Air locations are there?
- Big Air's FDD reports 21 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 1 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Big Air have complaints or lawsuits?
- Big Air discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Big Air franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Big Air scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Big Air to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36643-202605-08 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Big Air or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.