Best Salad and Bowl Franchises 2026: Who Is Actually Open

For salad and bowl brands, availability comes before cost: per their own sites and FDDs as of October 14, 2026, Chop Stop has paused applications, Freshii routes applicants to a Canada-focused page, and Pokeworks leans toward multi-unit buyers; Saladworks, Playa Bowls and Robeks offer single-unit agreements in their FDDs. These six brands need an availability check before a cost comparison.

Start with availability, not cost

Brand	Can a single-unit buyer apply today?	What the franchisor says
Saladworks	Yes, inquiries solicited on its franchising site	Its January 23, 2026 FDD offers a single-restaurant agreement, an optional Frutta Bowls co-brand subject to approval, and area development with a minimum of two restaurants
Playa Bowls	Yes	Its FDD states that if you are not contracting to develop multiple shops, you will not sign a development agreement
Robeks	Yes	Its FDD describes the Classic Franchise as “a single-unit franchise license”; the three-unit Legacy Franchise is a separate option
Pokeworks	Yes on paper, with a multi-unit lean	Its FDD offers a single-restaurant franchise agreement; its site lists a “Multi-Unit Vision” among the qualities it seeks
Freshii	Unclear	Its FDD expects single-unit agreements “only in rare situations”; its own franchising link points at Canada
Chop Stop	No	“The demand for franchises is so high, however, we’ve had to temporarily pause applications. Fill out the form below to get on the wait list and be the first to know when that changes.”

Salad chains that do not sell franchises

sweetgreen’s FY2025 10-K, filed February 27, 2026, states: “As of December 28, 2025, we owned and operated 281 restaurants in 24 states and Washington, D.C.” It also states: “The Company has one revenue stream, generating revenue from retail sales of food and beverages by company-owned restaurants within the United States.”

Salad and Go’s FAQ, checked October 14, 2026, answers “Are you a franchise?”: “Although we’re growing fast – thanks to the support of our amazing communities – we are not a franchise. We are a privately owned, local business based in Phoenix, Arizona with no current plans to franchise.”

Then the money, with the basis attached

Brand	Published single-unit investment (floor unless a range is shown)	Royalty	Marketing	Basis
Saladworks	$484,000 to $677,800; $35,000 initial franchise fee	6%	3% brand fund + 2% local advertising	Net Sales, defined in the FDD
Freshii	$172,500	6%	3% total	Gross Sales, defined in the FDD
Playa Bowls	$281,960	6%	2% national (up to 4%) + 1% local	Gross Sales
Pokeworks	$270,435	6%	1.5% fund + 2% local spend	Gross Sales, defined in the FDD
Robeks	$299,050	7% at one store, 6% at three, 5.5% at five or more	2.5% fund + 1% local	Net Sales, defined in the FDD
Chop Stop	Not stated on its franchising page	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated

Compare these bowl brands side by side

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Freshii’s floor comes from a disclosure document issued May 19, 2023, while Playa Bowls, Pokeworks and Robeks use FDDs issued in April 2026 and Saladworks uses its January 23, 2026 FDD, so its place at the bottom of this ranking rests on an older basis than the rest. Only the Saladworks row shows a full investment range; the other disclosed investment figures in the table are floors.

Saladworks’ franchising site (checked October 14, 2026) lists $234K to $653K, a $35K franchise fee, $350K liquid assets and $1,000,000 net worth, plus a 25% veteran fee discount. The site’s investment range differs from the FDD, which governs; its $35K franchise fee matches Item 5. Item 20 of the January 23, 2026 FDD reports 83 franchised and 1 company-owned outlet at fiscal year-end 2025.

Saladworks’ Item 6 defines Net Sales to include revenue from business at or from the restaurant, including delivery, without deducting delivery costs; it excludes qualifying separately stated sales taxes and honored discounts or coupons. Its 3% brand fund can rise to 5% with a proportional reduction in the 2% local advertising requirement, keeping the combined requirement at no more than 5% of Net Sales.

Every brand that publishes a royalty defines its basis, and the bases differ. Freshii’s FDD spells out that Gross Sales includes online, mobile app and remote ordering. Pokeworks’ FDD defines Gross Sales as all revenue generated by the restaurant, not including sales tax collected, less discounts taken at the point of sale. Robeks charges on Net Sales, and its FDD defines net as sales and other income excluding separately stated taxes, good-faith refunds, gift card sale proceeds and authorized coupon discounts. A 7 percent royalty on Net Sales and a 6 percent royalty on Gross Sales are not measured on the same base, so compare definitions before you compare percentages.

Check qualification floors before applying. Saladworks’ site lists $350,000 in liquid assets and $1,000,000 net worth. Pokeworks’ site states $250,000 in readily available funds and $750,000 in total assets minus liabilities. Robeks’ site states a $149,000 minimum liquid capital and a $375,000 minimum net worth for a single unit. You can check yourself against those before contacting anyone.

The thing to read before you read the cost table

Freshii’s 2023 disclosure document carries a risk statement in the franchisor’s own required wording, saying its financial condition “calls into question the franchisor’s financial ability to provide services and support to you”, alongside a turnover-rate statement noting 76 outlets terminated or ceased over three years and an out-of-state dispute-resolution statement requiring disputes to be resolved in Ontario, Canada. Its Item 20 shows US franchised outlets falling from 121 to 52 across three fiscal years.

That document is dated May 2023 and describes the position then, not necessarily now, and the FDD itself states that Foodtastic Inc. acquired all of the shares of Freshii, Inc. in February 2023. The point for this page is procedural rather than about one brand: the front of a disclosure document can carry risk statements, and a reader who starts at the investment table may never reach them. The Freshii franchise cost breakdown covers these statements in context.

Minnesota CARDS shows that Freshii’s 2023 application was withdrawn by order dated June 25, 2024, after no activity for 120 days. It also records a franchise exemption notice under Minn. Stat. 80C.03(e), effective December 10, 2024, confirmed in the Department of Commerce’s December 13, 2024 email (CARDS document 32670-202412-04). No newer Freshii FDD was found in CARDS as of October 14, 2026; the FDD used here remains dated May 19, 2023.

How to actually choose

If you want one shop and a clear route in, Saladworks, Playa Bowls and Robeks offer single-unit agreements in their FDDs. Saladworks also offers a Frutta Bowls co-brand subject to approval and area development for at least two restaurants. For Playa Bowls and Robeks, compare the agreement and format alongside the fee: Playa Bowls’ Item 5 discloses that 20 franchisees’ agreements in fiscal 2025 were discounted to between $12,500 and $30,000, which makes its published fee a starting point rather than a fixed price.

Smoothie and acai bowl shops run on blenders; see commercial blenders for coffee and smoothie shops and NSF-certified blenders.

If you are funding several units, Pokeworks lists a multi-unit vision among the qualities it seeks on its franchising page, checked October 14, 2026.

If Chop Stop is the concept you want, join the wait list and use the pause to visit stores and talk to operators, because the numbers will only ever come from the FDD.

In every case, the format decides more of the cost than the brand does. Within a single brand, the build format swings the investment more than the category ever will.

Two comparisons that go deeper

For the acai vertical specifically, Playa Bowls against Sobol compares the two brands side by side.

For a drinks concept instead, the bubble tea franchise cost comparison lines up six brands; as of October 14, 2026, four disclose royalties in 2026 FDDs.

Questions to ask any brand on this list

• Are you accepting applications in my market right now, and for a single unit?
• Which format is available to me here, and what is its Item 7 range specifically?
• Is the royalty charged on gross or net sales, and how is that term defined in the agreement?
• What advertising or marketing fees apply on top, and on which basis?
• Does the current FDD carry any risk statements in its front matter?
• What does Item 20 show for openings, closures and transfers over the last three years?
• What is the initial term, and what does renewal cost?
• Will a franchise attorney and an accountant review the full FDD with me before I commit?