AleCall franchise
2023 filing · April 24, 2023
AleCall at a glance
A beer store that sells kegs and beer, delivers kegs to homes and sets up and maintains home draft systems. At the end of 2022 there were 1 AleCall locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Retail
- Franchisor
- AleCall, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Typical size
- 1,800–2,400 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $349K–$460K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present ($0); up to 2% of gross sales if a fund is set up
- Renewal fee
- $2,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 1
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
From AleCall, LLC’s 2023 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
AleCall among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | AleCall | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $404,250 | Costs more than 55% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 1 | Fewer than 88% of franchises |
How much a AleCall franchise costs
Opening one AleCall costs an estimated $349,000 to $459,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are furniture, fixtures, & equipment ($90,000 to $100,000) and initial inventory ($50,000 to $75,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Lease Deposit and Payment for One Month’s Rent | $8,000 | $10,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $50,000 | $75,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment | $90,000 | $100,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements/Buildout | $50,000 | $75,000 | |
| Signage | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $10,000 | ||
| Insurance | $4,000 | $6,000 | |
| Permits and Licenses | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Vehicles | $24,000 | $50,000 | |
| MicroMatic Draft Institute Training | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Tools and Draft Tools | $7,500 | $10,000 | |
| Accounting and Legal Fees | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Travel and living expenses for Initial Training | $1,000 | $2,500 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $60,000 | $70,000 | |
| Total | $349,000 | $459,500 | |
Source: AleCall, LLC, 2023 filing, page 12
AleCall franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: AleCall, LLC, 2023 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present ($0); up to 2% of gross sales if a fund is set up. |
| Technology Fee | Our then-current fee (Currently, $100 per month) |
| Franchise Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $2,500 |
| Additional Training | Our then-current fee, currently $500 per day, plus expenses |
| Local Advertising | A minimum of $1,000 per month |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: AleCall, LLC, 2023 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures AleCall does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: AleCall, LLC, 2023 filing, page 33
How AleCall compares
Of the 302 retail franchises on this site, AleCall is the 230th cheapest to open and the 263rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | AleCall | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $349K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $460K | $425K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5.7% | 6% |
| US locations | 1 | 38 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 187 of 302 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 302 brands in retail franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: AleCall, LLC, 2023 filing, page 33
Who owns AleCall?
AleCall franchises are sold by AleCall, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From AleCall, LLC’s 2023 filing, page 6.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: AleCall, LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
AleCall filings
The figures on this page come from AleCall, LLC’s 2023 filing, issued April 24, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | April 24, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
