FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Captain D’s is seeking to expand our national footprint in select markets throughout the country. See our Growth Markets page for more information.
Our franchise agreements typically establish a 20-year initial franchise term.
The initial franchise fee for each Captain D’s restaurant is $35,000. Qualifying veterans may receive a discounted fee of up to 1/2 off the initial franchise fee.
We charge a 4.5% royalty on sales from your Captain D’s restaurant.
We charge an advertising fee of 1.1% of gross sales. This fee covers the compelling advertising campaigns, promotions, and public relations programs developed and delivered by our marketing team to drive sales at your store and throughout the Captain D’s system. We ask all franchisees to spend between 2% and 4% of gross sales (depending on whether your market has an advertising co-op) toward local store marketing.
An individual, a company, or a group of partners applying to open a new Captain D’s franchise must have $500,000 in liquid assets available for investment and a collective minimum net worth of $1,500,000.
The expected initial investment for a restaurant is $898,600 to $1,354,200. This amount excludes the cost of real estate, but does include site preparation and development.
Yes. With over 56% of our franchise system multi-unit operators, they are expanding to make sure they can own as much of their market as possible before it is sold out.
We do not offer financing to franchisees; however, we can provide a list of banks and financing institutions that have expressed interest in lending to Captain D’s franchisees. To facilitate financing, Captain D’s is listed on the SBA Registry.
Also, through our partnership with BoeFly.com and their powerful resources and processes, franchisees have access to thousands of lenders through a single loan request. BoeFly.com is secure and puts you in the driver’s seat — improving your odds of accessing a small business loan and ultimately getting better terms. In addition, BoeFly.com automatically includes the Captain D’s material in your loan package that lenders need to see.
Financing questions? Through our relationship with BoeFly.com, you can receive a free consult. Just call 1-800-277-3158 and reference Captain D’s.
We use sophisticated site-analysis tools that help franchisees assess sites based on trade area demographics and competitive intelligence. You’ll have the full support of our real estate team to give you confidence in choosing the best location. If you already own property, it will need to meet pre-established demographic and location criteria. Our real estate team can provide you with more information on our requirements.
We require that the franchise operator (not necessarily the franchisee) have at least two years of experience managing a retail business. If the operator is not the franchisee, we require the operator to have some ownership interest in the franchise.
If you are an experienced restaurant or retail operator, are passionate about service and hospitality, and you meet our minimum financial requirements found here. Please complete our Request Information Form.
You can find this information on our What It Takes page.