Robeks Franchise Cost 2026: $299K-$539K, 7% Royalty (FDD)

Robeks charges its royalty on net sales rather than gross, and its April 2026 FDD spells out what net sales means. That definition is the part worth reading, because the word only changes the price once you know what it excludes.

In short: a Robeks store costs $299,050 to $538,500 per its April 17, 2026 FDD, with a $30,000 fee ($20,000 for veterans), a 7% net-sales royalty that falls to 5.5% at five stores, and a 2.5% marketing fee. Robeks asks for $149,000 liquid and $375,000 net worth for a single store.

Robeks franchise fees at a glance

Item	Amount	Source
Total investment, one store	$299,050 to $538,500	FDD Item 7
Classic Franchise fee	$30,000 (fees collected in fiscal 2025 ranged $20,000 to $30,000)	FDD Item 5
Veteran fee	$20,000	FDD Item 5
Existing-franchisee fee	$18,500, until December 31, 2026	FDD Item 5
Legacy three-store fee	$60,000 combined	FDD Item 5
Royalty	7% of Net Sales (one store), 6.5% (two), 6% (three), 5.5% (five or more)	FDD Item 6
Marketing Fund	2.5% of Net Sales	FDD Item 6
Local advertising	At least 1% of Net Sales, spent by you	FDD Item 6
Advertising cooperative	Up to 2% of Net Sales, if formed	FDD Item 6
Grand opening	At least $7,500	FDD Items 6 and 11
Renewal fee	$10,000	FDD Item 6
Term	10 years, plus two 10-year renewals	FDD Item 17

The basis matters as much as the number

As of September 2026, the Robeks FDD issued April 17, 2026 (also on file with Minnesota’s franchise registry) sets the royalty at 7 percent of net sales on a first store, 6.5 percent on a second, 6 percent on a third and 5.5 percent at five or more. Robeks’ multi-unit page shows the same four rates. The number is only half the price: net sales and gross sales are different amounts, and each franchise agreement defines its own, so a percentage alone cannot be compared with another brand’s rate.

The rate schedule is tiered rather than flat. Per Item 6 of the FDD, the reduced rate applies to every store you own, not just the new one: open a third store and all three move from 6.5 to 6 percent. Close or sell one and the rate on the rest moves back up. If you are in default under any one franchise agreement, the royalty on all of them becomes 7 percent until you cure it. Item 6 also says Robeks has agreed to lower rates in limited circumstances and reserves the right to offer incentive royalty rates in new or developing markets.

A royalty that looks flat can move with the number of units, with time, or with the type of venue. Robeks’ rate moves with unit count, and only while you keep the stores. When you see a single royalty percentage quoted for any brand, the useful question is which of those it is a point on.

How Robeks defines net sales

Item 6 of the FDD defines Net Sales as all sales and other income from each Robeks store, whether paid in cash, by credit card, with gift cards or another accepted form of payment. It also counts business-interruption insurance proceeds, sales of proprietary products and permitted wholesale transactions. Four things come out:

1. Sales taxes and other taxes you collect from customers and pay to taxing authorities.
2. Refunds and credits made in good faith to arm’s-length customers.
3. The proceeds you receive from selling gift cards to customers (redemptions count as sales when the card is used).
4. The discount value of any coupon, voucher or allowance that Robeks authorizes at the time it is redeemed.

The definition is short enough to check against your own point-of-sale reports before you sign, and the deductions are limited to the four items above. Compare that with Playa Bowls’ Gross Sales, which the Playa FDD defines to exclude sales taxes and authorized promotional discounts but to include insurance proceeds and third-party delivery fees. The two definitions differ on specific items, so neither rate is simply higher than the other.

Marketing fees, term and renewal

As of the April 2026 FDD, the marketing costs are:

• A marketing fee of 2.5 percent of Net Sales, paid with the royalty into the Marketing Fund.
• A minimum of 1 percent of Net Sales spent on approved local or regional advertising. This is money you spend, not money you pay Robeks.
• A possible advertising cooperative contribution of up to 2 percent of Net Sales, if two-thirds of the stores in your area approve forming one. It counts toward the 1 percent minimum.
• A grand opening program of at least $7,500.

For a single store that is 9.5 percent of net sales to Robeks (7 percent royalty plus 2.5 percent marketing fee) before the 1 percent local spend.

The franchise term is 10 years (Item 17 covers renewal and termination). You get two successive renewal options of 10 years each, a $10,000 renewal fee, and you must sign the then-current franchise agreement, which the FDD warns may contain materially different terms. Our FDD walkthrough covers what else to pull from the document, and our Item 6 guide covers the fee table specifically.

Fee ladder and incentives

The list fee for the Classic Franchise is $30,000, but Item 5 says the fees Robeks collected in fiscal 2025 ranged from $20,000 to $30,000. Three incentives sit on top of that:

• Veterans: under VetFran, qualifying U.S. military veterans pay a reduced fee of $20,000 under the Classic Franchise, with proof of honorable discharge or active duty status. Robeks’ investment page states the same $20,000 figure.
• Existing franchisees: those in good standing may buy a new Classic Franchise for $18,500 until December 31, 2026.
• Legacy Franchise: the three-store development right costs $60,000 combined, signed as three separate franchise agreements, with a development schedule that requires signed leases for two of the three locations within 15 months and for the third within 24 months.

Ask which one applies to you, in writing, before assuming a number.

Cost, qualification and scale

SBA Franchise Directory: Robeks appears in the SBA’s Franchise Directory file effective October 9, 2026 (SBA Franchise Identifier Code S1438; franchisor certification marked received). A listing is what a lender checks for brand eligibility; it is not an endorsement, and your own eligibility as a borrower is assessed separately. See how to check the SBA Franchise Directory.

The FDD’s Item 7 gives a single-store total of $299,050 to $538,500, and Robeks’ investment page shows the same range. Robeks’ investment page states the qualification ladder:

Commitment	Liquid capital	Net worth	Franchise fee
Single store	$149,000	$375,000	$30,000
Three stores	$375,000	$875,000	$60,000 (combined)

The FDD describes the Classic Franchise as a single-unit franchise license, so the single-store tier really is the entry point, with multi-unit as an option. Robeks’ available-markets page lists its territories as available nationwide.

On scale, the numbers come from two places. Robeks’ homepage advertises 140 locations open or in development, a combined figure. The FDD’s Item 19 and Item 20 give the count of open stores: 98 franchised and 3 corporate stores at December 28, 2025. Item 20 shows franchised outlets falling from 103 to 98 during 2025, with 3 opening and 8 ceasing operations for other reasons, and no terminations or non-renewals.

What Robeks’ Item 19 reports

Item 19 of the April 17, 2026 FDD reports fiscal 2025 Net Sales for 81 franchised stores that were open for the full 52 weeks ended December 28, 2025. The figures were prepared from franchisee-reported sales and are not audited.

Group	Stores	Average Net Sales	Median Net Sales
All reporting stores	81	$653,115	$573,815
Top 25%	20	$1,038,230	$987,959
Top 60%	48	$813,302	$736,713
Bottom 25%	20	$369,673	$372,620

The highest store reported $1,603,493 and the lowest $246,994. Of the 81, 35 stores (43.2 percent) met or exceeded the all-store average. Item 19 leaves out 10 stores open fewer than 7 days a week, 1 college-campus store, 3 that opened during the year, 3 closed for part of it for a remodel, repair or ownership transfer, and the 8 that closed during the year.

Robeks’ investment and AUV page headlines top-25% average annual revenue of $1,000,000+ and top-60% of $813,000+, citing its 2026 FDD, which matches the table. These are sales, not profit. The FDD says the figures “do not reflect the costs and expenses that must be deducted from the sales figures to obtain your net income or profit,” and that “Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll sell as much.” This page makes no projection of its own.

Run Robeks' Item 19 numbers against your own costs

Our free financial projections template takes a sales figure, your rent, labor and the 9.5% royalty and marketing stack, and shows what's left. Plus the due-diligence kit.

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How it compares in its category

Robeks’ FDD states single-unit availability outright, as Playa Bowls’ does. For the rest of the category, see Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Smoothie King, Jamba, Pokeworks and Playa Bowls vs Sobol. Robeks’ net-sales basis is the thing that makes a straight cost ranking unreliable, and its tiered royalty is the thing that changes the math as you grow. Our category side-by-side sets the five out together.

Questions to ask Robeks before you sign

• Which of the fee incentives (veteran, existing franchisee, Legacy, or a market incentive) applies to me, and in writing?
• How do the gift card and coupon exclusions in the net sales definition work in your point-of-sale reports?
• Does the tiered royalty apply automatically when I open a second store, or does it require anything of me?
• Item 19 gives net sales for fiscal 2025. How many of the stores included are comparable to the store I would open?
• The FDD shows franchised stores falling from 103 to 98 in 2025. What were the reasons for the eight that ceased operations?
• Of the 140 locations open or in development, how many are open and trading today?
• Will a franchise attorney and an accountant review the full FDD with me before I commit?

Ask current franchisees about the eight closures

Get the free validation call script: the questions to ask Robeks owners from the Item 20 list about sales, costs, support and why stores closed. Plus the due-diligence kit.

Email addressSend me the kit

Optional: connect me with a vetted franchise-development partner if I match what they're looking for. FranchiseFeast may be paid a referral fee for this. It is never required to get what you asked for, and you can withdraw at any time.Your background (optional)Prefer not to sayCorporate or executive backgroundEntrepreneur, no food experience yetI already operate multiple unitsSomething else

Company

The kit is educational only, not legal or financial advice. By subscribing you agree to ourterms and privacy policy. How we're paid, including referral fees:affiliate & referral disclosure.