City Wide Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a City Wide franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
City Wide discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Average Gross Sales 2024-2025; quartile performance breakdowns; gross margin 30-34%; unaudited data, no independent verification; Kansas City excluded from ramp data.
What a City Wide franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $70,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 6% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $229,729 – $410,730 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Minimum royalty escalates 1-6 months free, up to $5,000/mo after 22 months. Territory fee $15,000-$50,000. Mandatory tech/accounting/business development services first 12-36 months.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
City Wide system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 104 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 3 |
| Closure rate | 1.0% of outlets |
1 ceased operations 2025; minimal terminations; stable transfer activity.
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 City Wide worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 6% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $229,729 | pricier than 68% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 1.0% of outlets | about average |
| 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 City Wide
The franchisor's framing: Average Gross Sales 2024-2025; quartile performance breakdowns; gross margin 30-34%; unaud… 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
City Wide franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a City Wide franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $229,729–$410,730, including a $70,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do City Wide franchise owners make?
- Average Gross Sales 2024-2025; quartile performance breakdowns; gross margin 30-34%; unaudited data, no independent verification; Kansas City excluded from ramp data. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the City Wide franchise fees?
- City Wide's FDD discloses a $70,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 6% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Minimum royalty escalates 1-6 months free, up to $5,000/mo after 22 months. Territory fee $15,000-$50,000. Mandatory tech/accounting/business development services first 12-36 months.
- What is the City Wide franchise profit margin?
- City Wide does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Average Gross Sales 2024-2025; quartile performance breakdowns; gross margin 30-34%; unaudited data, no independent verification; Kansas City excluded from ramp data. Recurring fees alone take about 6% 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 City Wide franchise failure rate?
- 1 ceased operations 2025; minimal terminations; stable transfer activity.
- How many City Wide locations are there?
- City Wide's FDD reports 104 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 3 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does City Wide have complaints or lawsuits?
- City Wide 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 City Wide franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. City Wide scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 6% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare City Wide to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36042-202604-12 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with City Wide or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.