LIME Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a LIME franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2024), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
LIME discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Item 19 discloses 14 franchisee performance data from 2023 including projects sold, collection rates, margins. Cherry-picks fully-operating franchisees, excludes 20 inactive/new owners.
What a LIME franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 7% 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 | 10% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $126,700 – $227,075 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Tiered royalties 4%-7%; 3% ad fund; $900/mo tech; $1,500/mo digital marketing required.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
LIME system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 82 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 7 |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets |
1 ceased ops 2023; 9 inactive 45+ days; 1 reacquired 2023; minimal terminations.
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 LIME worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 10% of sales | steeper than 74% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $126,700 | about average (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a LIME
The franchisor's framing: Item 19 discloses 14 franchisee performance data from 2023 including projects sold, collec… 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
LIME franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a LIME franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $126,700–$227,075, including a $60,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do LIME franchise owners make?
- Item 19 discloses 14 franchisee performance data from 2023 including projects sold, collection rates, margins. Cherry-picks fully-operating franchisees, excludes 20 inactive/new owners. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the LIME franchise fees?
- LIME's FDD discloses a $60,000 initial franchise fee, a 7% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 10% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Tiered royalties 4%-7%; 3% ad fund; $900/mo tech; $1,500/mo digital marketing required.
- What is the LIME franchise profit margin?
- LIME does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Item 19 discloses 14 franchisee performance data from 2023 including projects sold, collection rates, margins. Cherry-picks fully-operating franchisees, excludes 20 inactive/new owners. Recurring fees alone take about 10% 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 LIME franchise failure rate?
- 1 ceased ops 2023; 9 inactive 45+ days; 1 reacquired 2023; minimal terminations.
- How many LIME locations are there?
- LIME's FDD reports 82 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 7 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does LIME have complaints or lawsuits?
- LIME 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 LIME franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. LIME scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 10% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare LIME to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 31877-202406-10 (Clean FDD 2024). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with LIME or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.