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    Cousins Maine Lobster vs Culver Franchising System

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    Cousins Maine Lobster2025 FDDCulver Franchising System2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    $193,500 – $651,200

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Culver Franchising System

    $3,406,350 – $10,294,100

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 15

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    Not available

    Culver Franchising System

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    8%

    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13

    Culver Franchising System

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Cousins Maine Lobster figures come from its 2025 FDD and Culver Franchising System figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Cousins Maine Lobster discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Cousins Maine Lobster: 10, Culver Franchising System: 45). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    $193,500 – $651,200
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Culver Franchising System

    $3,406,350 – $10,294,100
    Totals
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 15
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Culver Franchising System

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    8%
    Royalty rate
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13

    Culver Franchising System

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    2%
    Advertising Fund Contribution cap — 2%
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13

    Culver Franchising System

    2.5%
    Advertising Fee — 2.5%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    146
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 49

    Culver Franchising System

    1,041
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 46
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    +58
    Calculated: 88 at end of 2022 → 146 at end of 2024

    Culver Franchising System

    +149
    Calculated: 892 at end of 2022 → 1,041 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Culver Franchising System

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Culver Franchising System

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Cousins Maine Lobster

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Culver Franchising System

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Cousins Maine Lobster
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Food Trucks open and operating for the full 12-month period in 2024,…
    $132,973
    other Monthly Sales
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — affiliate-owned units
    50 percent
    other Percentage at or Above Average
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Cousins Maine Lobster Food Trucks owned by franchisees that operated for a full…
    $102,689
    other Table 1 Food Truck #1
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 46
    +7 more groups in the full report
    Culver Franchising System
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Culver’s Restaurants open for the entire 12-month period ended Decem…
    $1,103,114
    other Lowest sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 37
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Seven company-owned Culver’s Restaurants open for the full 12-month period ende…
    $7,801,703
    other Food cost
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 38
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Culver’s Restaurants included in Part 2 and open for the entire 12-m…
    $9,030,702
    other Highest sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 41
    +42 more groups in the full report

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    Cousins Maine Lobster vs Culver Franchising System: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Cousins Maine Lobster or Culver Franchising System?
    Cousins Maine Lobster: $193,500 – $651,200 (2025 FDD · Item 7); Culver Franchising System: $3,406,350 – $10,294,100 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 15). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Cousins Maine Lobster. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Which has more locations, Cousins Maine Lobster or Culver Franchising System?
    Cousins Maine Lobster: 146 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 49); Culver Franchising System: 1,041 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 46). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Cousins Maine Lobster and Culver Franchising System disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Cousins Maine Lobster has reviewed Item 19 figures for 10 location groups; Culver Franchising System has reviewed Item 19 figures for 45 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full Cousins Maine Lobster report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Culver Franchising System report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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