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The real numbers on owning a The Growler Guys franchise
Beverage Retail (Growler Beer Sales) · FDD 2023 · from public state filings
FDisclosure honesty
This franchisor discloses little to no earnings data (Item 19).
★☆☆☆☆FranchiseValidate transparency rating: 1/5
Investment
$131,700–$448,500
Total fees
8% of sales
Outlets
9
Closure signals
1 ceased, 0 terminated
Lawsuits
0
Is The Growler Guys worth it? How it compares to 30 similar franchises
Ongoing fees
8% of sales
steeper than 62% of retail & business services franchises
Startup cost
from $131,700
cheaper than most (median $149,950)
Disclosure honesty
Grade F
less honest than most of the category
Closure rate
11.1% of outlets
worse than 77% 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.
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.
Honesty grade F: the disclosed numbers are incomplete or framed to look better than an owner's real take-home.
Failure & turnover reality (Item 20)
System declining 3-year trend: 11→10→9 outlets. 3 ceased operations 2022-2024.
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The franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. We do — reconstructed from their own FDD.
Franchisor's framing: Franchisor makes no financial performance representations; prohibits employees from making oral…
🔒 Real estimated owner take-home (low / median / high) — unlocked in the report
Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI on your investment
Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
Decoded real failure / closure rate
How it ranks vs comparable franchises
Validation-call playbook — who to call + the exact questions
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 is the The Growler Guys franchise failure rate?
System declining 3-year trend: 11→10→9 outlets. 3 ceased operations 2022-2024.
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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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.