Data Verification Status: Verified
Data for Bento Sushi was extracted directly from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document filed with state regulators (MN CARDS, WI DFI, or CA DFPI). The actual FDD was directly reviewed and all figures shown are sourced from the government filing. Extracted from 2025 FDD filed with MN CARDS (file #10712). Data verified from government filing. Always verify current figures by requesting the most recent FDD directly from the franchisor.
Bento Sushi
Fast-casual sushi kiosks — government-verified FDD data
Bento Sushi is a fast-casual sushi kiosk and café franchise serving freshly prepared sushi, Japanese-inspired bowls, and grab-and-go meals in grocery stores, universities, airports, and food courts. The compact footprint model offers lower investment than traditional restaurant concepts. FDD data verified from Minnesota Department of Commerce (MN CARDS).
Key Metrics
Total Investment
$50,000 – $145,550
Initial fee: $2,000
Avg Revenue (Item 19)
Not Available
Item 19 — Figures Not Available
Royalty Rate
Varies
2025 FDD
Total Units
300
280 franchised · 20 company
Franchise Overview
| Parent Company | Bento Nouveau Inc. |
| Year Founded | 2002 |
| Franchising Since | 2006 |
| Headquarters | US |
| Category | Food & Beverage |
| FDD Year | 2025 |
Money: What You Pay, What You Make
Investment costs, ongoing fees, and disclosed revenue — FDD Items 5, 6, 7, and 19
Investment Anatomy
Where your initial investment goes — sourced from FDD Item 7.
Diligence Scores
Computed from government-filed FDD data. Each score is 0–100. Methodology is public and citation-backed.
System Health
Based on Item 20 outlet trends
Franchisor Strength
Based on Item 21 financials + Items 3-4
Contract Burden
Based on Item 17 terms + Item 12 territory
Economics
Not Rated
Item 19 filed — figures not available in our database
Confidence
Data completeness + extraction quality
Scores are editorial calculations from cited government filings (2025 FDD). They are not investment advice. Missing economics data does not indicate poor economics — it means Item 19 revenue data is unavailable for scoring. See methodology for details.
Data Coverage
Gov-filed FDD · 2025
6/11
items populated
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
Item 19 — Economics Not Available
This franchisor filed an Item 19 in their FDD, but the figures are not currently available in our database. This does not reflect the quality of the disclosure.
Coverage status: Item 19 — Figures Not Available
Item 19 Data Quality
Before comparing this revenue figure to other brands, review these data-quality flags.
Item 19 Filed — Figures Not Available
This franchisor filed an Item 19, but the figures are not currently in our database. This flag reflects a data coverage gap, not a judgment on the disclosure.
Fee Structure
| Initial Franchise Fee | $2,000 |
| Total Investment Range | $50,000 – $145,550 |
| Royalty | Varies |
| Marketing / Ad Fund | 2% |
Operations: The Rules You Live By
Contract terms, territory, suppliers, training, and financing — FDD Items 8, 10, 11, 12, 17
Territory & Encroachment Risk — Item 12
Critical Encroachment Risk
NO exclusive territory — encroachment risk exists; franchisor reserves online/ecommerce sales.
✗ No
Exclusive Terr.
△ Yes
Online Reserved
Source: FDD Item 12 (Territory) · Encroachment risk score is editorial analysis based on disclosed terms
Supplier Dependence — Item 8
Required purchases, approved suppliers & lock-in analysis
Low Supplier Lock-In
Franchisee may source freely if specifications are met.
Source: FDD Item 8 (Restrictions on Sources of Products and Services) · Lock-in score is editorial analysis
Management Quality — Item 2 (Business Experience)
Adequate Management Signal
Long-tenured executives (5+ years); recent leadership changes detected.
2
Senior Execs
✗ No
Franchise Exp.
✓ Yes
Stable Leadership
△ Yes
Recent Changes
Source: FDD Item 2 (Business Experience) · Extraction confidence: medium
Contract Terms at a Glance
Key franchise agreement provisions — from FDD Item 17. These define your legal relationship.
System Health: Is It Growing or Shrinking?
Unit openings, closures, transfers, and geographic spread — FDD Item 20
Unit Economics — Item 20 (Outlets & Franchisee Information)
Units Opened
+0
Units Closed
-0
Units Transferred
0
| Net Growth | +0 units |
| Turnover Rate | 0% |
System Composition
Ownership split and 3-year system trajectory — from FDD Item 20.
Outlet Churn Anatomy — Item 20
Exit-type breakdown for the 2025 FDD reporting period. Source: government-filed FDD.
stable System
System is stable — net 0 units. Normal turnover for the category.
Opened
+0
Exited
-0
Net
+0
Franchisor Strength: Can They Support You?
Financial health, litigation history, and audited statements — FDD Items 3, 4, 21
Litigation Summary — Item 3
Active Lawsuits
0
Trend
Lawsuit Types
Franchisor Financial Strength — Item 21
Extracted from audited financial statements filed with the FDD.
Auditor
Independent auditor
Peer Benchmarks
Ranked within food-beverage franchises at a under $150K investment tier. All data from government-filed FDDs.
Bento Sushi ranks in the top 25% of peers for initial franchise fee
Percentile rank vs. comparable franchises in the same category and investment tier. For revenue and growth: higher percentile = better. For fees and investment: lower percentile = better (bar shows relative advantage).
Buyer Prep: What to Watch For
Key risk areas, questions for existing franchisees, and community insights
Franchisee Interview Prep
Questions to ask current franchisees — generated from red flags, Item 20 exit data, and contract terms in the 2025 FDD. Prioritized: critical questions first.
How responsive is your franchisor rep — do they actually help when you have a problem, or are they just checking boxes?
Look for: Specific stories (not just vague positives). Ask about a time they needed help urgently — response time matters.
If you decided to sell your franchise tomorrow, how easy would that be? Has the franchisor ever blocked or delayed a transfer you wanted?
Look for: Transfer fee surprises, right-of-first-refusal complications, or franchisor demanding upgrades before approving a sale.
Item 2 shows recent leadership changes. Ask current franchisees: has the change in leadership affected support quality, speed of decisions, or the culture of the system?
Look for: Whether the new leadership has franchise operations experience. Disruption in field support after leadership transitions is common.
The Item 2 business experience section doesn't show prior franchise system experience in leadership. Ask: how does the corporate team support franchisees who are struggling operationally?
Look for: Whether they have franchise-specific field support, franchise advisory councils, or prior experience navigating the franchisor-franchisee relationship.
What did your revenue look like in year 1 vs. year 2 vs. now? When did you reach breakeven?
Look for: Year 1 revenue is typically well below Item 19 averages (which often exclude ramp-up units). Expect 12-24 months to reach average.
What did the training actually cover vs. what you needed on day 1? What do you wish you'd learned before opening?
Look for: Gap between training content and operational reality. New franchisees often report the training covered theory but not real-world situations.
Knowing everything you know now, would you sign this franchise agreement again? What would you negotiate differently?
Look for: This is the single highest-signal question. Listen for hesitation. Franchisees rarely criticize their decision publicly; even mild reservations are meaningful.
How responsive is corporate support when you have an operational problem? Can you give me an example of when you needed help and how they responded?
Look for: Same-day response vs. days-long wait. Whether field support visits are proactive or only reactive. Quality of the franchisee hotline.
Community
Not FDD dataAnonymous Owner Submissions
No owner submissions yet for Bento Sushi. Be the first — your data helps future buyers.
Buyer Memo
One-page printable summary: investment, revenue, flags, and questions to ask.
View Memo →Full Diligence Memo
Item 19, system health, red flags, contract terms — cited to the filed FDD.
Full Analysis →Lender Readiness Pack
SBA-ready summary: investment ranges, scenario economics, franchisor financials.
View Lender Pack →Get the Full Report
Standard
$29
- Full score breakdown & analysis
- Red flag deep dive
- FDD summary (Items 1-23)
Premium
$79
- Everything in Standard
- Item 19 financial modeling
- Competitor comparison
- Community data overlay
Executive
$199
- Everything in Premium
- 10-year pro forma model
- Litigation deep dive
- Territory analysis & map
Data sourced from the 2025 FDD filed with a state franchise regulator (US DFI/CARDS filing). Fields not extractable from the PDF are shown as not available. Last updated 2026-03-27.
Extracted from 2025 FDD filed with MN CARDS (file #10712). Data verified from government filing.
Franchisel is independent and does not accept payments from franchisors. Scores reflect editorial analysis, not franchisor endorsement.