How much does a Honest franchise cost?

The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,862,000–$2,689,000, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.

How much do Honest franchise owners make?

Honest 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.

Is a Honest franchise worth it?

It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Honest scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 6.5% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.

Home › Buyer-Advocate Franchise (Quick-Service Restaurant) › Honest

The real numbers on owning a Honest franchise

Buyer-Advocate Franchise (Quick-Service Restaurant) · FDD 2025 · from public state filings

FDisclosure honesty

This franchisor discloses little to no earnings data (Item 19).

★☆☆☆☆ FranchiseValidate transparency rating: 1/5

Investment

$1,862,000–$2,689,000

Total fees

6.5% of sales

Outlets

Closure signals

2 ceased, 0 terminated

Lawsuits

Is Honest worth it? How it compares to 124 similar franchises

Ongoing fees	6.5% of sales	lower than most (median 8%)
Startup cost	from $1,862,000	pricier than 96% of peers
Disclosure honesty	Grade F	less honest than most of the category
Closure rate	5.0% of outlets	worse than 70% of peers
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.

What their own earnings claim actually says

No financial performance representations made. Franchisor explicitly states it makes no representations about franchisee future or past outlet performance.

Honesty grade F: the disclosed numbers are incomplete or framed to look better than an owner's real take-home.

Failure & turnover reality (Item 20)

2 ceased operations (Maryland, Texas 2024); reacquired by franchisor indicates potential underperformance.

Get the full Honest validation report — $149

The franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. We do — reconstructed from their own FDD.

Franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations made. Franchisor explicitly states it makes no represe…

🔒 Real estimated owner take-home (low / median / high) — unlocked in the report

Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI on your investment
Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
Decoded real failure / closure rate
How it ranks vs comparable franchises
Validation-call playbook — who to call + the exact questions

See a full sample report →

Honest franchise — frequently asked

How much does a Honest franchise cost?: The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,862,000–$2,689,000, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.
How much do Honest franchise owners make?: Honest 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 is the Honest franchise failure rate?: 2 ceased operations (Maryland, Texas 2024); reacquired by franchisor indicates potential underperformance.
Is a Honest franchise worth it?: It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Honest scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 6.5% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.

Own a Honest? Add your real numbers (anonymous)

We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.

Compare Honest to similar franchises

McDonald'sC Del TacoC Tropical Smoothie CafeD Culver'sF

See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →

Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Honest or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.