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    Happy Joes Area Director Agreement vs Shuckin Shack

    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.

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Happy Joes Area Director Agreement: 13, Shuckin Shack: 2). Different groups are not directly comparable.
    DisclosureHappy Joes Area Director AgreementShuckin Shack
    Financial commitment
    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)
    $252,750
    Total initial investment — $252,750–$846,250
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 12
    $500,000 – $1,500,000
    Total Estimate
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 19
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)
    $40,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11
    $15,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12
    Royalty (Item 6)
    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    3.5% · Percentage of Gross Sales; 3.5% first calendar year, 4.5% second calendar year, 5.5% third and subsequent calendar years
    Royalty
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)
    Not available
    No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee
    1.5% of percentage of gross sales; currently 1.5%, up to 2.5%
    Brand Development Fund
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13
    System scale & health
    Total outlets (Item 20)
    1
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 25
    18
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 61
    Net outlet change (Item 20)
    +0
    Calculated: 1 at end of 2023 → 1 at end of 2025
    +0
    Calculated: 18 at end of 2023 → 18 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)
    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    2014
    2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    2014
    2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8
    Performance (Item 19)
    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Bettendorf restaurant
    11.15 percent
    other Total discounts · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 22
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Locust restaurant
    $352,012
    other Total controllable payroll expenses · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 22
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — West 50th restaurant
    4.7 percent
    other Total Fun Center income/(expense) · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 22
    +10 more groups in the full report
    Franchised (14 locations) — revenue
    $1,360,886
    mean Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 57
    Franchised (16 locations) — revenue
    $1,400,416
    mean Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 57

    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.

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