How much does a Hotshots franchise cost?
Opening a Hotshots franchise takes a total initial investment of $969,000 to $2,156,000, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median gross sales of $1,513,586 across 5 outlets.
Hotshots Sports Bar and Grill franchises restaurants offering alcoholic beverages, grilled foods, chicken wings, soups, salads, hot and cold sandwiches and/or pizza, and access to billiards, darts and/or arcade games. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Hotshots franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $969,000 to $2,156,000. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Leasehold Improvements ($500,000 to $1,400,000), Kitchen/Bar Equipment ($100,000 to $180,000), and Audio/Visual Equipment ($65,000 to $125,000). Together they make up about 79% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $50,000, about 5.2% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $50,000 | $50,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Lease Deposit and Rent2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $10,000 | $60,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Leasehold Improvements2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $500,000 | $1,400,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Signage2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $7,000 | $15,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Furniture and Fixtures2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $30,000 | $50,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Kitchen/ | $100,000 | $180,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Audio/ | $65,000 | $125,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Smallwares/ | $12,000 | $25,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| POS Computer System / | $3,000 | $6,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Licenses, Dues, deposits, etc.2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $3,000 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Professional Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $10,000 | $20,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Insurance2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $10,000 | $20,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Travel and Living Expenses while Training2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $22,000 | $35,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Initial Inventory2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $47,000 | $65,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Grand Opening Advertising2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $25,000 | $25,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $75,000 | $75,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 | $969,000 | $2,156,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8 |
Source Hotshots, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 8, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 19
What Hotshots franchisees actually report earning
Median Gross Sales
$1,513,586
Hotshots' 2025 FDD, Item 19, for the Year Ended December 31, 2024. Basis: Franchised outlets that are substantially similar to the franchised business offered under this disclosure document and were open and operating for at least 12 months as of December 31, 2024.
Sample size: 5 outlets. The FDD reports no average alongside this median.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- Two franchised outlets that were open and operating as of December 31, 2024 were excluded because: (i) one is materially smaller than the current square footage that is our standard offering under this disclosure document; and (ii) one commenced operations during 2024 and was not open for at least 12 months as of December 31, 2024.
- 3 affiliate-owned outlets were excluded from the below table because they are smaller than our current standard offering under this disclosure document.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Hotshots outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Hotshots, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 28, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 20
How many Hotshots outlets there are, and how many closed
Hotshots ended 2024 with 7 franchised outlets and 7 company-owned outlets. In that year 1 franchised outlet opened and none left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, Hotshots opened 2 franchised outlets and no outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 2, from 5 to 7 franchised outlets.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 32 |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 32 |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 32 |
Source Hotshots, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 31, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Compare
How Hotshots 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 Hotshots' estimated range is $1,562,500. It costs more to open than 84% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Hotshots 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 Hotshots 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 Hotshots' updated numbers when the next document is published, plus the brand-comparison worksheet.
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