MOE'S Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a MOE'S franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
MOE'S discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
FY2025 Traditional Franchises: Top quartile avg $1,753,026 (39% achieved), bottom quartile $718,897 (55% achieved). Excludes non-traditional venues, co-branded, affiliates.
What a MOE'S franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% 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 | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $644,425 – $1,968,450 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
5% royalty + 3% ad fund + 1% local marketing. Multiple technology/operational fees (POS, loyalty, online ordering). Transfer fee 50% of initial for control transfers.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
MOE'S system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 568 |
| Ceased operations | 33 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 40 |
| Transferred to new owners | 27 |
| Closure rate | 5.8% of outlets |
28 net outlet decline 2025; 33 closures; significant Florida/Georgia attrition
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 MOE'S worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $644,425 | pricier than 66% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 5.8% of outlets | worse than 75% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
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 MOE'S
The franchisor's framing: FY2025 Traditional Franchises: Top quartile avg $1,753,026 (39% achieved), bottom quartile… 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
MOE'S franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a MOE'S franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $644,425–$1,968,450, including a $35,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do MOE'S franchise owners make?
- FY2025 Traditional Franchises: Top quartile avg $1,753,026 (39% achieved), bottom quartile $718,897 (55% achieved). Excludes non-traditional venues, co-branded, affiliates. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the MOE'S franchise fees?
- MOE'S FDD discloses a $35,500 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 5% royalty + 3% ad fund + 1% local marketing. Multiple technology/operational fees (POS, loyalty, online ordering). Transfer fee 50% of initial for control transfers.
- What is the MOE'S franchise profit margin?
- MOE'S does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: FY2025 Traditional Franchises: Top quartile avg $1,753,026 (39% achieved), bottom quartile $718,897 (55% achieved). Excludes non-traditional venues, co-branded, affiliates. Recurring fees alone take about 8% 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 MOE'S franchise failure rate?
- 28 net outlet decline 2025; 33 closures; significant Florida/Georgia attrition
- How many MOE'S locations are there?
- MOE'S FDD reports 568 total outlets, with 33 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 27 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does MOE'S have complaints or lawsuits?
- MOE'S discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a MOE'S franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. MOE'S scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare MOE'S to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 35791-202604-09 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with MOE'S or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.