Data Verification Status: Verified
Data for Red Robin 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 WI DFI (file #). Source: Always verify current figures by requesting the most recent FDD directly from the franchisor.
Red Robin
FDD data sourced from 2025 WI DFI filing (file #)
Red Robin franchise — WI DFI FDD 2025.
Key Metrics
Total Investment
$2,705,000 – $5,785,000
Initial fee: $35,000
Avg Revenue (Item 19)
Not Available
Not Disclosed in Reviewed Filing
Royalty Rate
5.0
2025 FDD
Total Units
Not disclosed
Franchise Overview
| Parent Company | |
| Year Founded | 1969 |
| Franchising Since | — |
| Headquarters | WI |
| 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
Insufficient data
Franchisor Strength
Insufficient data
Contract Burden
Insufficient data
Economics
Not Rated
Item 19 not included in FDD (voluntary per FTC)
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
3/11
items populated
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
Item 19 — Economics Not Available
This franchisor chose not to include a Financial Performance Representation in their FDD. Item 19 is voluntary per FTC rules — its absence does not indicate poor economics.
Coverage status: Not Disclosed in Reviewed Filing
Item 19 Data Quality
Before comparing this revenue figure to other brands, review these data-quality flags.
No Item 19
This franchisor did not include a Financial Performance Representation in their FDD. Item 19 is voluntary per FTC rules — absence does not indicate poor economics.
Fee Structure
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 |
| Total Investment Range | $2,705,000 – $5,785,000 |
| Royalty | 5.0 |
| Marketing / Ad Fund | 0% |
Operations: The Rules You Live By
Contract terms, territory, suppliers, training, and financing — FDD Items 8, 10, 11, 12, 17
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% |
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
Peer Benchmarks
Ranked within food-beverage franchises at a over $500K investment tier. All data from government-filed FDDs.
Red Robin ranks above average among 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.
The FDD does not include audited financial statements. Ask: do you have any visibility into the franchisor's financial health? Have you ever been concerned about the company's stability?
Look for: Even anecdotal signals — changes in leadership, delays in royalty statement processing, reduced marketing fund activity.
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.
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 Red Robin. 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 (WI DFI/CARDS filing). Fields not extractable from the PDF are shown as not available. Last updated 2026-04-01.
Extracted from 2025 FDD filed with WI DFI (file #). Source:
Franchisel is independent and does not accept payments from franchisors. Scores reflect editorial analysis, not franchisor endorsement.