The Growler Guys Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a The Growler Guys franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2023), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
The Growler Guys discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Franchisor makes no financial performance representations; prohibits employees from making oral/written projections; actual outlet records available upon request.
What a The Growler Guys franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30,000 | 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 | $131,700 – $448,500 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 6% or $900 minimum monthly; Marketing 2% or 1% current; Transfer $10k or 35% fee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
The Growler Guys system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 9 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 11.1% of outlets |
System declining 3-year trend: 11→10→9 outlets. 3 ceased operations 2022-2024.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2023. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is The Growler Guys worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | about average |
| Startup cost | from $131,700 | cheaper than most (median $157,952) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 11.1% of outlets | worse than 80% of peers |
| 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 The Growler Guys
The franchisor's framing: Franchisor makes no financial performance representations; prohibits employees from making… 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
The Growler Guys franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a The Growler Guys franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $131,700–$448,500, including a $30,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do The Growler Guys franchise owners make?
- The Growler Guys discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the The Growler Guys franchise fees?
- The Growler Guys' FDD discloses a $30,000 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. Royalty 6% or $900 minimum monthly; Marketing 2% or 1% current; Transfer $10k or 35% fee.
- What is the The Growler Guys franchise profit margin?
- The Growler Guys discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the The Growler Guys franchise failure rate?
- System declining 3-year trend: 11→10→9 outlets. 3 ceased operations 2022-2024.
- How many The Growler Guys locations are there?
- The Growler Guys' FDD reports 9 total outlets, with 1 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 The Growler Guys have complaints or lawsuits?
- The Growler Guys 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 The Growler Guys franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. The Growler Guys scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare The Growler Guys to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2023). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with The Growler Guys or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.