Moe's Southwest Grill operates a quick-service restaurant chain serving customizable Southwestern-inspired burritos, bowls, and tacos. The franchise emphasizes fresh ingredients and customer choice in a fast-casual dining format.
Atlanta, Georgia · Founded 2001 · Franchising since 2001 · moesouthwestgrill.com →
The Moe's Southwest Grill franchise charges a 5.0% royalty fee and operates 596 units in the Fast Casual category. This report analyzes the full Franchise Disclosure Document including unit economics, fee structure, growth trends, and risk indicators to help you evaluate the cost of investing in Moe's Southwest Grill.
Critical issues identified from FDD analysis that warrant serious consideration before investing.
Composite quality score based on growth, stability, efficiency, fees, transparency, and system size.
Financial performance data as disclosed in FDD Item 19.
| Metric | Value | Unit | Cohort | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Net Sales | $1,821,614 | USD | Top Quartile | FY2024 |
| Number and Percentage of Restaurants Attaining or Exceeding Average Net Sales | 0.0 | COUNT | Top Quartile | FY2024 |
| Median Net Sales | $1,754,949 | USD | Top Quartile | FY2024 |
| Lowest Net Sales | $1,464,882 | USD | Top Quartile | FY2024 |
| Highest Net Sales | $3,097,451 | USD | Top Quartile | FY2024 |
| Average Net Sales | $1,312,376 | USD | 2nd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Number and Percentage of Restaurants Attaining or Exceeding Average Net Sales | 0.0 | COUNT | 2nd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Median Net Sales | $1,299,681 | USD | 2nd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Lowest Net Sales | $1,166,787 | USD | 2nd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Highest Net Sales | $1,459,940 | USD | 2nd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Average Net Sales | $1,049,509 | USD | 3rd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Number and Percentage of Restaurants Attaining or Exceeding Average Net Sales | 0.0 | COUNT | 3rd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Median Net Sales | $1,059,238 | USD | 3rd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Lowest Net Sales | $907,995 | USD | 3rd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Highest Net Sales | $1,164,124 | USD | 3rd Quartile | FY2024 |
| Average Net Sales | $753,347 | USD | Bottom Quartile | FY2024 |
| Number and Percentage of Restaurants Attaining or Exceeding Average Net Sales | 0.0 | COUNT | Bottom Quartile | FY2024 |
| Median Net Sales | $782,366 | USD | Bottom Quartile | FY2024 |
| Lowest Net Sales | $371,964 | USD | Bottom Quartile | FY2024 |
| Highest Net Sales | $906,553 | USD | Bottom Quartile | FY2024 |
| Average Net Sales | $1,235,422 | USD | Total | FY2024 |
| Number and Percentage of Restaurants Attaining or Exceeding Average Net Sales | 0.0 | COUNT | Total | FY2024 |
| Median Net Sales | $1,166,787 | USD | Total | FY2024 |
| Lowest Net Sales | $371,964 | USD | Total | FY2024 |
| Highest Net Sales | $3,097,451 | USD | Total | FY2024 |
Estimated using industry benchmarks for the Fast Casual category. Actual costs vary significantly by location, operator, and market.
| Line Item | Amount | % of Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Revenue | $1,015,559 | 100% |
| COGS | $-304,668 | 30% |
| Labor | $-284,357 | 28% |
| Occupancy | $-101,556 | 10% |
| Marketing | $-40,622 | 4% |
| Other Costs | $-81,245 | 8% |
| Royalty Fee (franchisor) | $-50,778 | 5.0% |
| Ad Fund Fee (franchisor) | $-20,311 | 2.0% |
| Owner's Profit | $132,023 | 13.0% |
Automated risk indicators based on FDD data analysis.
Franchise unit trajectory based on FDD Item 20 data.
| Year | Start | Opened | Closed | Transferred | End | Closure Rate | Net Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 658 | +15 | -37 | 0 | 636 | 5.6% | -- |
| 2023 | 636 | +12 | -37 | 5 | 606 | 5.8% | -- |
| 2024 | 606 | +15 | -25 | 5 | 591 | 4.1% | -- |
| 2025 | -- | +10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
How Moe's Southwest Grill compares to peer brands in the Fast Casual category.
Ratio = Investment midpoint ÷ median annual revenue. Lower is better. A 0.5x ratio means the initial investment equals half of one year's gross revenue. Does not account for operating costs, margins, or time value of money.
| Brand | Total Units | Investment Range | Median Revenue | Royalty | Inv/Rev Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | 1400 | $341K – $814K | $1.74M | 6.0% | 0.3x |
| Five Guys | 945 | $978K – $1.38M | No Item 19 | 6.0% | -- |
| Jamba | 726 | $263K – $615K | $1.18M | 6.0% | 0.4x |
| Moe's Southwest Grill | 596 | $566K – $1.59M | $1.82M | 5.0% | 0.6x |
| Captain D's | -- | $206K – $1.26M | $1.56M | 4.5% | 0.5x |
| Schlotzsky's | -- | $648K – $1.95M | $1.70M | 6.0% | 0.8x |
| Fazoli's | -- | $1.64M – $2.64M | $1.36M | 5.0% | 1.6x |
| MOD Pizza | -- | $1.00M – $1.30M | $8K | 5.0% | 151.9x |
| Blaze Pizza | -- | $667K – $1.14M | $1.28M | 5.0% | 0.7x |
| Pieology | -- | $304K – $808K | No Item 19 | 5.0% | -- |
SBA 7(a) loan approvals for Moe's Southwest Grill franchisees from the SBA FOIA public dataset. Lenders report franchise codes at origination — this is real lending activity, not estimates.
Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) public data. Franchise codes matched by brand name. Not all SBA loans are captured; some franchisees finance without SBA programs.
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