"Gulf C-Store" Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a "Gulf C-Store" franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2024), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
"Gulf C-Store" 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 made. Franchisor explicitly disclaims any representations about franchisee future or past outlet financial performance.
What a "Gulf C-Store" franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 0% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 3% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $147,650 – $651,550 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 3%-5.5% tiered by funding level; $800/month technology fee; optional $1,000/month marketing fee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
"Gulf C-Store" system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 0 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
Brand new franchise system; zero outlets as of 12/31/2025; no historical performance data available.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2024. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is "Gulf C-Store" worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 3% of sales | lower than most (median 7%) |
| Startup cost | from $147,650 | about average (median $157,952) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every retail & business services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a "Gulf C-Store"
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations made. Franchisor explicitly disclaims any represe… 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
"Gulf C-Store" franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a "Gulf C-Store" franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $147,650–$651,550, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do "Gulf C-Store" franchise owners make?
- "Gulf C-Store" 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 "Gulf C-Store" franchise fees?
- "Gulf C-Store"'s FDD discloses a $25,000 initial franchise fee, a 3% royalty on gross sales, a 0% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 3% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 3%-5.5% tiered by funding level; $800/month technology fee; optional $1,000/month marketing fee.
- What is the "Gulf C-Store" franchise profit margin?
- "Gulf C-Store" 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 "Gulf C-Store" franchise failure rate?
- Brand new franchise system; zero outlets as of 12/31/2025; no historical performance data available.
- How many "Gulf C-Store" locations are there?
- "Gulf C-Store"'s FDD reports 0 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 "Gulf C-Store" have complaints or lawsuits?
- "Gulf C-Store" 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 "Gulf C-Store" franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. "Gulf C-Store" scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 3% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare "Gulf C-Store" to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2024). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with "Gulf C-Store" or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.