Cleanest Restaurant Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Cleanest Restaurant franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Cleanest Restaurant discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
One company-owned outlet (NY) showing 2024-2025 gross sales, direct costs, and disclosed expenses. Operational franchise outlets' gross sales reported. No new franchisee data disclosed.
What a Cleanest Restaurant 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 | 8% 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 | 9% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $102,686 – $144,174 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
8% royalty, 1% brand development fund, $250/mo technology, $500+/mo local marketing, multiple compliance fees.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Cleanest Restaurant system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 17 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Zero terminations/non-renewals 2023-2025; one transfer 2025. Early-stage system (16 franchise outlets).
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 Cleanest Restaurant worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 9% of sales | steeper than 68% of quick service restaurants franchises |
| Startup cost | from $102,686 | cheaper than most (median $481,500) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.3%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every quick service restaurants franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Cleanest Restaurant
The franchisor's framing: One company-owned outlet (NY) showing 2024-2025 gross sales, direct costs, and disclosed e… 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
Cleanest Restaurant franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Cleanest Restaurant franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $102,686–$144,174, including a $60,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Cleanest Restaurant franchise owners make?
- One company-owned outlet (NY) showing 2024-2025 gross sales, direct costs, and disclosed expenses. Operational franchise outlets' gross sales reported. No new franchisee data disclosed. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Cleanest Restaurant franchise fees?
- Cleanest Restaurant's FDD discloses a $60,000 initial franchise fee, a 8% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 8% royalty, 1% brand development fund, $250/mo technology, $500+/mo local marketing, multiple compliance fees.
- What is the Cleanest Restaurant franchise profit margin?
- Cleanest Restaurant does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: One company-owned outlet (NY) showing 2024-2025 gross sales, direct costs, and disclosed expenses. Operational franchise outlets' gross sales reported. No new franchisee data disclosed. Recurring fees alone take about 9% 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 Cleanest Restaurant franchise failure rate?
- Zero terminations/non-renewals 2023-2025; one transfer 2025. Early-stage system (16 franchise outlets).
- How many Cleanest Restaurant locations are there?
- Cleanest Restaurant's FDD reports 17 total outlets, with 0 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 Cleanest Restaurant have complaints or lawsuits?
- Cleanest Restaurant 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 Cleanest Restaurant franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Cleanest Restaurant scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a Cleanest Restaurant? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Cleanest Restaurant to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: MN CARDS 36346-202604-11 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Cleanest Restaurant or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.