How much does a Cousins Maine Lobster franchise cost?
Opening a Cousins Maine Lobster franchise takes a total initial investment of $266,600 to $965,800, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median annual gross sales of $1,299,825 across 2 outlets.
CML Storefront, LLC franchises Cousins Maine Lobster Storefronts. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Cousins Maine Lobster franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $266,600 to $965,800. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Leasehold Improvements ($90,000 to $400,000), Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment ($5,000 to $150,000), and Initial Inventory (Startup Package) ($30,000 to $80,000). Together they make up about 65% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $40,000, about 15% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $40,000 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Application Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $500 | $3,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Deposit Account2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $20,000 | $20,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Leasehold Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $90,000 | $400,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Rent and Security Deposit2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $3,000 | $36,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Utility Deposits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $0 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $5,000 | $150,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Initial Inventory (Startup Package)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $30,000 | $80,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Signage2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $4,750 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Insurance2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $1,000 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Office Equipment & Supplies2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $250 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Computer Equipment (Hardware, Software, POS System, etc.)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $8,350 | $23,800 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Travel and Living Expenses for Training2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $5,000 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Licenses & Permits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $2,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Legal & Accounting2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $5,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| General Contractor2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $750 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| Grand Opening Advertising2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $1,000 | $2,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
| Additional Funds – three months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $50,000 | $75,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $266,600 | $965,800 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
Source Cousins Maine Lobster, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 19
What Cousins Maine Lobster franchisees actually report earning
Median Annual Gross Sales
$1,299,825
Cousins Maine Lobster's 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025. Basis: all franchised Storefronts open during 2025; these franchisees were open for all 12 months in 2025.
Sample size: 2 outlets. The FDD also reports average annual gross sales of $1,299,825. 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
- One Georgia Storefront and one Florida Storefront were not included because they closed in 2025 and were not open for the entire year.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Cousins Maine Lobster outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Cousins Maine Lobster, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 39-40, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 20
How many Cousins Maine Lobster outlets there are, and how many closed
Cousins Maine Lobster ended 2025 with 2 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year no franchised outlets opened and 2 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Cousins Maine Lobster opened 1 franchised outlet and 6 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 5, from 7 to 2 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 2 were terminated, 2 were not renewed, and 2 closed for other reasons.
With fewer than 10 outlets, one closure moves the numbers a lot, so we do not calculate a yearly rate.
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 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 43 |
| 2024 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 43 |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 43 |
Source Cousins Maine Lobster, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 43, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Compare
How Cousins Maine Lobster 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 Cousins Maine Lobster's estimated range is $616,200. It costs more to open than 54% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Cousins Maine Lobster 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 Cousins Maine Lobster files a new FDD
Franchisors reissue their FDD at least once a year, and the Item 7 and Item 19 figures move. Leave an email and we will send you Cousins Maine Lobster's updated numbers when the next document is published, plus the brand-comparison worksheet.
You get a confirmation email right away, then one email per new filing for the brands you ask about, and nothing else. No sharing, no selling, unsubscribe any time.