Green + The Grain Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Green + The Grain franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Green + The Grain discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Six affiliate-operated restaurants 2025 performance: Gross sales $757K-$2.0M, net income 8%-26%, average $218K (18% margin). Unaudited, historic data only.
What a Green + The Grain franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 3% 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 | $402,000 – $1,397,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 6%, Brand Fund 3%, Local Marketing 3% minimum (up to 5%), Technology $275/month. Multiple discretionary fees (transfer 50%, renewal 50%, daily noncompliance $100/day).
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Green + The Grain system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 6 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
No franchised outlets opened 2023-2025; 6 company-owned stable. Zero franchisee 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 Green + The Grain 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 $402,000 | about average (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 Green + The Grain
The franchisor's framing: Six affiliate-operated restaurants 2025 performance: Gross sales $757K-$2.0M, net income 8… 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
Green + The Grain franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Green + The Grain franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $402,000–$1,397,000, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Green + The Grain franchise owners make?
- Six affiliate-operated restaurants 2025 performance: Gross sales $757K-$2.0M, net income 8%-26%, average $218K (18% margin). Unaudited, historic data only. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Green + The Grain franchise fees?
- Green + The Grain's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 6%, Brand Fund 3%, Local Marketing 3% minimum (up to 5%), Technology $275/month. Multiple discretionary fees (transfer 50%, renewal 50%, daily noncompliance $100/day).
- What is the Green + The Grain franchise profit margin?
- Green + The Grain does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Six affiliate-operated restaurants 2025 performance: Gross sales $757K-$2.0M, net income 8%-26%, average $218K (18% margin). Unaudited, historic data only. 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 Green + The Grain franchise failure rate?
- No franchised outlets opened 2023-2025; 6 company-owned stable. Zero franchisee data.
- How many Green + The Grain locations are there?
- Green + The Grain's FDD reports 6 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 Green + The Grain have complaints or lawsuits?
- Green + The Grain 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 Green + The Grain franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Green + The Grain scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% 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 Green + The Grain or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.