Playa Bowls Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Playa Bowls franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Playa Bowls discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross sales by quartiles for 223 operational franchise outlets (2025). Median $1.09M across all outlets. Company-owned outlets averaged $1.05M. Data excludes new outlets.
What a Playa Bowls franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% 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 | $281,960 – $1,055,594 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty + 2% marketing fund + 1% local marketing required. Termination loss payment formula based on avg royalties × 36 months max.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Playa Bowls system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 372 |
| Ceased operations | 3 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 1 |
| Transferred to new owners | 19 |
| Closure rate | 0.8% of outlets |
3 ceased operations 2025; 1 termination 2025; 19 transfers suggests some franchisee struggles.
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 Playa Bowls worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $281,960 | cheaper than most (median $481,500) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 85% of quick service restaurants franchises |
| Closure rate | 0.8% of outlets | better than most (median 1.3%) |
| 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 Playa Bowls
The franchisor's framing: Gross sales by quartiles for 223 operational franchise outlets (2025). Median $1.09M acros… 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
Playa Bowls franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Playa Bowls franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $281,960–$1,055,594, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Playa Bowls franchise owners make?
- Gross sales by quartiles for 223 operational franchise outlets (2025). Median $1.09M across all outlets. Company-owned outlets averaged $1.05M. Data excludes new outlets. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Playa Bowls franchise fees?
- Playa Bowls' FDD discloses a $35,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty + 2% marketing fund + 1% local marketing required. Termination loss payment formula based on avg royalties × 36 months max.
- What is the Playa Bowls franchise profit margin?
- Playa Bowls does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross sales by quartiles for 223 operational franchise outlets (2025). Median $1.09M across all outlets. Company-owned outlets averaged $1.05M. Data excludes new outlets. 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 Playa Bowls franchise failure rate?
- 3 ceased operations 2025; 1 termination 2025; 19 transfers suggests some franchisee struggles.
- How many Playa Bowls locations are there?
- Playa Bowls' FDD reports 372 total outlets, with 3 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 19 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Playa Bowls have complaints or lawsuits?
- Playa Bowls 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 Playa Bowls franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Playa Bowls scores B 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.
Own a Playa Bowls? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Playa Bowls to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Playa Bowls or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.