Just Between Friends Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Just Between Friends franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Just Between Friends discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross sales data for 2024-2025 by quadrant; median $240k-$295k. No net income/profit data. Limited expense detail disclosed.
What a Just Between Friends franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $24,900 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 3% 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 | 6% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $67,365 – $99,615 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
3% royalty + $5,250-$10,500 annual minimum; 1-3% marketing fund capped $3,500/yr; $3k+ local ad spend required.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Just Between Friends system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 151 |
| Ceased operations | 6 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 8 |
| Transferred to new owners | 8 |
| Closure rate | 4.0% of outlets |
2025: 8 terminations, 6 closures (other), low transfer activity suggests retention challenges.
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 Just Between Friends worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 6% of sales | lower than most (median 7%) |
| Startup cost | from $67,365 | cheaper than most (median $157,952) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 4.0% of outlets | about average |
| 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 Just Between Friends
The franchisor's framing: Gross sales data for 2024-2025 by quadrant; median $240k-$295k. No net income/profit data.… 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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Just Between Friends franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Just Between Friends franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $67,365–$99,615, including a $24,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Just Between Friends franchise owners make?
- Gross sales data for 2024-2025 by quadrant; median $240k-$295k. No net income/profit data. Limited expense detail disclosed. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Just Between Friends franchise fees?
- Just Between Friends' FDD discloses a $24,900 initial franchise fee, a 3% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 6% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 3% royalty + $5,250-$10,500 annual minimum; 1-3% marketing fund capped $3,500/yr; $3k+ local ad spend required.
- What is the Just Between Friends franchise profit margin?
- Just Between Friends does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross sales data for 2024-2025 by quadrant; median $240k-$295k. No net income/profit data. Limited expense detail disclosed. Recurring fees alone take about 6% 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 Just Between Friends franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 8 terminations, 6 closures (other), low transfer activity suggests retention challenges.
- How many Just Between Friends locations are there?
- Just Between Friends' FDD reports 151 total outlets, with 6 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 8 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Just Between Friends have complaints or lawsuits?
- Just Between Friends 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 Just Between Friends franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Just Between Friends scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 6% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Just Between Friends to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36122-202604-07 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Just Between Friends or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.