Buona Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Buona franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Buona discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Data from 21 affiliate-owned Chicago-area units (10 free-standing single brand, 1 inline, 10 dual brand). Excludes 10 older units pre-2013 prototype. Gross sales $2.5M-$4.7M; net income 9.3%-19.6% (before rent, taxes, financing).
What a Buona franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1.5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 5.5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $1,464,697 – $5,841,375 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
4% royalty, 1.5% ad fund (currently; up to 2.5%), 1% local advertising min. Tech fee $100/week. On-site training deposit $20K; balance up to $50K (free-standing).
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Buona system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 34 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
No franchisee failures yet (only 1 franchised unit open as of 3/24/26). Limited historical data.
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 Buona worth it? — how it compares to 22 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 5.5% of sales | lower than most (median 8.5%) |
| Startup cost | from $1,464,697 | pricier than 91% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.2%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every sandwich & sub shops franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Buona
The franchisor's framing: Data from 21 affiliate-owned Chicago-area units (10 free-standing single brand, 1 inline, … 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
Buona franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Buona franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,464,697–$5,841,375, including a $40,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Buona franchise owners make?
- Data from 21 affiliate-owned Chicago-area units (10 free-standing single brand, 1 inline, 10 dual brand). Excludes 10 older units pre-2013 prototype. Gross sales $2.5M-$4.7M; net income 9.3%-19.6% (before rent, taxes, financing). We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Buona franchise fees?
- Buona's FDD discloses a $40,000 initial franchise fee, a 4% royalty on gross sales, a 1.5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 5.5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 4% royalty, 1.5% ad fund (currently; up to 2.5%), 1% local advertising min. Tech fee $100/week. On-site training deposit $20K; balance up to $50K (free-standing).
- What is the Buona franchise profit margin?
- Buona does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Data from 21 affiliate-owned Chicago-area units (10 free-standing single brand, 1 inline, 10 dual brand). Excludes 10 older units pre-2013 prototype. Gross sales $2.5M-$4.7M; net income 9.3%-19.6% (before rent, taxes, financing). Recurring fees alone take about 5.5% 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 Buona franchise failure rate?
- No franchisee failures yet (only 1 franchised unit open as of 3/24/26). Limited historical data.
- How many Buona locations are there?
- Buona's FDD reports 34 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Buona have complaints or lawsuits?
- Buona discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Buona franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Buona scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 5.5% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Buona to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Buona or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.