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The real numbers on owning a Buona franchise
Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) - Italian Beef/Sandwich · FDD 2026 · from public state filings
CDisclosure honesty
This franchisor discloses earnings (Item 19) — but read how.
★★★☆☆FranchiseValidate transparency rating: 3/5
Investment
$1,464,697–$5,841,375
Total fees
5.5% of sales
Outlets
34
Closure signals
0 ceased, 0 terminated
Lawsuits
0
Is Buona worth it? How it compares to 16 similar franchises
Ongoing fees
5.5% of sales
lower than most (median 9%)
Startup cost
from $1,464,697
pricier than 88% 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.
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).
Failure & turnover reality (Item 20)
No franchisee failures yet (only 1 franchised unit open as of 3/24/26). Limited historical data.
Get the full Buona validation report — $149
The franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. We do — reconstructed from their own FDD.
Franchisor's framing: Data from 21 affiliate-owned Chicago-area units (10 free-standing single brand, 1 inline, 10 du…
🔒 Real estimated owner take-home (low / median / high) — unlocked in the report
Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI on your investment
Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
Decoded real failure / closure rate
How it ranks vs comparable franchises
Validation-call playbook — who to call + the exact questions
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 is the Buona franchise failure rate?
No franchisee failures yet (only 1 franchised unit open as of 3/24/26). Limited historical data.
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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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.