Pokéworks Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Pokéworks franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Pokéworks discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2025 data: 6 company-owned restaurants averaged $1,391,931 gross sales; 52 franchised averaged $1,082,563. Top 20% franchised averaged $1,743,199; bottom 20% averaged $630,723. No net profit figures provided.
What a Pokéworks franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1.5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7.5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $270,435 – $599,661 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty + 1.5% marketing fund, $300/month technology fee. Multiple non-compliance penalties. Transfer fee 50% of current initial fee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Pokéworks system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 69 |
| Ceased operations | 5 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 5 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 7.2% of outlets |
5 franchised closures in 2025; 5 terminations in 2025. Modest 2-year growth trajectory.
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 Pokéworks worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7.5% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $270,435 | cheaper than most (median $481,500) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 7.2% of outlets | worse than 78% 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.
Owner take-home for a Pokéworks
The franchisor's framing: 2025 data: 6 company-owned restaurants averaged $1,391,931 gross sales; 52 franchised aver… 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
Pokéworks franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Pokéworks franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $270,435–$599,661, including a $40,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Pokéworks franchise owners make?
- 2025 data: 6 company-owned restaurants averaged $1,391,931 gross sales; 52 franchised averaged $1,082,563. Top 20% franchised averaged $1,743,199; bottom 20% averaged $630,723. No net profit figures provided. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Pokéworks franchise fees?
- Pokéworks' FDD discloses a $40,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 1.5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7.5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty + 1.5% marketing fund, $300/month technology fee. Multiple non-compliance penalties. Transfer fee 50% of current initial fee.
- What is the Pokéworks franchise profit margin?
- Pokéworks does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2025 data: 6 company-owned restaurants averaged $1,391,931 gross sales; 52 franchised averaged $1,082,563. Top 20% franchised averaged $1,743,199; bottom 20% averaged $630,723. No net profit figures provided. Recurring fees alone take about 7.5% 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 Pokéworks franchise failure rate?
- 5 franchised closures in 2025; 5 terminations in 2025. Modest 2-year growth trajectory.
- How many Pokéworks locations are there?
- Pokéworks' FDD reports 69 total outlets, with 5 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Pokéworks have complaints or lawsuits?
- Pokéworks 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 Pokéworks franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Pokéworks scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 7.5% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Pokéworks to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Pokéworks or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.