Graze Craze Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Graze Craze franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Graze Craze discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes no representations about franchisee future performance or past outlet performance.
What a Graze Craze franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,500 | 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 | $167,059 – $325,608 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty + 2% marketing fund (may increase to 4%) + 5% local marketing; transfer fee greater of $29,500 or 10% of sale price.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Graze Craze system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 90 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 12 |
| Transferred to new owners | 14 |
| Closure rate | 1.1% of outlets |
12 terminations and 1 closure in 2025; 6% termination rate concerning for young system.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Graze Craze worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $167,059 | cheaper than most (median $481,500) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 1.1% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 4 | more litigious than 81% of peers |
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 Graze Craze
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes … 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
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Graze Craze franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Graze Craze franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $167,059–$325,608, including a $49,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Graze Craze franchise owners make?
- Graze Craze discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Graze Craze franchise fees?
- Graze Craze's FDD discloses a $49,500 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. 6% royalty + 2% marketing fund (may increase to 4%) + 5% local marketing; transfer fee greater of $29,500 or 10% of sale price.
- What is the Graze Craze franchise profit margin?
- Graze Craze discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Graze Craze franchise failure rate?
- 12 terminations and 1 closure in 2025; 6% termination rate concerning for young system.
- How many Graze Craze locations are there?
- Graze Craze's FDD reports 90 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 14 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Graze Craze have complaints or lawsuits?
- Graze Craze discloses 4 legal matters 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 Graze Craze franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Graze Craze scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 4 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Graze Craze to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 34944-202510-12 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Graze Craze or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.