How much does a Captain D’s franchise cost?
Opening a Captain D’s franchise takes a total initial investment of $1,453,000 to $1,862,100, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median gross sales of $1,042,475 across 210 outlets.
Captain D’s franchises Captain D’s restaurants. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Captain D’s franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $1,453,000 to $1,862,100. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Building and Leasehold Improvements ($925,000 to $1,200,000), Equipment ($375,000 to $415,000), and Additional Funds - 3 Months ($40,000 to $90,000). Together they make up about 92% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $35,000, about 2.4% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $35,000 | $35,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Building and Leasehold Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 | $925,000 | $1,200,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 |
| Training Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 | $25,000 | $46,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 |
| Equipment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 | $375,000 | $415,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 |
| Computer Systems2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 | $31,000 | $34,100 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 |
| Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 | $6,000 | $8,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 39 |
| Miscellaneous Opening Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 | $5,000 | $9,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 |
| Insurance2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 | $11,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 | $40,000 | $90,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 | $1,453,000 | $1,862,100 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40 |
Source Captain D’s, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 40, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 19
What Captain D’s franchisees actually report earning
Median Gross Sales
$1,042,475
Captain D’s' 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the Fiscal year ended December 28, 2025. Basis: Free-standing Captain D’s restaurants open continuously for the past fiscal year, identified as “Comparable Restaurants.”.
Sample size: 210 outlets. The FDD also reports average gross sales of $1,082,533. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- Four company-owned restaurants and 18 franchised restaurants not open for the full fiscal year were excluded.
- Three company-owned restaurants and one franchised restaurant temporarily closed for repairs and one company-owned non-traditional restaurant were excluded.
- International locations were excluded.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Captain D’s outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Captain D’s, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 68, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 20
How many Captain D’s outlets there are, and how many closed
Captain D’s ended 2025 with 229 franchised outlets and 289 company-owned outlets. In that year 5 franchised outlets opened and 13 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Captain D’s opened 32 franchised outlets and 26 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 6, from 223 to 229 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 2 were bought back by the franchisor and 24 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 3.8% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 26.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 237 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 229 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 70 |
| 2024 | 227 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 237 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 70 |
| 2023 | 223 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 227 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 70 |
Source Captain D’s, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 39-42, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Compare
How Captain D’s compares with other Food & Beverage franchises
Measured against the 256 Food & Beverage franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Captain D’s' estimated range is $1,657,550. It costs more to open than 85% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 3.8% for Captain D’s. That is lower than 63% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Captain D’s' franchised system grew 2.7%. The typical Food & Beverage franchise here grew 5.0%.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Captain D’s is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Food & Beverage franchise side by side.
Alert me when Captain D’s files a new FDD
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