Asian Chao franchise
2025 filing · May 15, 2025Fewer locations
Asian Chao at a glance
A quick-service Asian restaurant, opened under the Asian Chao, Maki of Japan, Chao Cajun or TOBU name to suit its location. At the end of 2024 there were 49 Asian Chao locations in the US, 41 franchised and 8 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Food Systems Unlimited, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2005
- 20 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Longwood, Florida
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.41M–$2.41M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% on local advertising; the advertising fund is currently 0% (up to 1%)
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present (0%); up to 1% of gross sales
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- Leases the premises
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 49
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 41
- Company-owned
- 8
- Change in 3 years
- −11
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 12
- Most in Florida, Georgia and Ohio
From Food Systems Unlimited, Inc’s 2025 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 65; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Asian Chao among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Asian Chao | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,908,200 | Costs more than 92% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 49 | More than 64% of franchises |
How much a Asian Chao franchise costs
Opening one Asian Chao costs an estimated $1,407,000 to $2,409,400. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($1,000,000 to $1,500,000) and equipment ($250,000 to $500,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $1,000,000 | $1,500,000 | |
| Sublease Acquisition Fee | $0 | $15,000 | |
| Lease Payments and other rental expenses | $20,000 | $100,000 | |
| Equipment | $250,000 | $500,000 | |
| Imported Italian Tile | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Signage | $8,000 | $15,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $8,000 | $10,000 | |
| Architectural/Engineering | $40,000 | $150,000 | |
| Spot on Register System with Modem | $10,000 | $12,000 | |
| Initial Access to Monitoring Software | $400 | ||
| Facsimile machine | $350 | $500 | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial training | $1,500 | $2,500 | |
| Business Supplies (stationery, business cards, brochures, presentation folders, paper and other materials) | $1,000 | $1,500 | |
| Business licenses, permits, etc. (for first year) | $250 | $1,000 | |
| Insurance deposits and premiums (for first year) | $2,500 | $6,500 | |
| Additional Funds | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $1,407,000 | $2,409,400 | |
Source: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2025 filing, page 18
Asian Chao franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2025 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% on local advertising; the advertising fund is currently 0% (up to 1%). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present (0%); up to 1% of gross sales. |
| Transfer Fee | $7,500 or 25% of Our then current initial franchise fee |
| Local Advertising | 1% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2025 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Asian Chao 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: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2025 filing, page 54
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.4M–$2.6M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Asian Chao | Typical fast food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −8.9% / −21% | 0% / +5.6% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 6.7% / 23% | 3.7% / 17% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 2.2% / 1.9% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical fast food brand is the median of the 124 brands in fast food franchises with three years of counts.
How Asian Chao compares
Of the 309 fast food franchises on this site, Asian Chao is the 290th cheapest to open and the 110th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Asian Chao | Typical fast food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.41M | $353K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $2.41M | $786K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 49 | 23 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 189 of 309 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 309 brands in fast food franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 53 (−3) | 11 | – | – |
| 2021 | 52 (−1) | 11 | – | – |
| 2022 | 48 (−4) | 7 | +2 | −6 |
| 2023 | 45 (−3) | 7 | 0 | −3 |
| 2024 | 41 (−4) | 8 | 0 | −4 |
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: fast food franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2020 to the end of 2024, franchised locations went from 56 to 41 (−15, −27%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2023 filing.
Source: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2025 filing, page 54
2020–2021: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2023 filing, pages 56–57
Where Asian Chao locations are
At the end of 2024, Asian Chao had locations in 12 states. The most are in Florida, Georgia and Ohio.
- Florida21
- Georgia6
- Ohio5
- New Jersey3
- Indiana2
- Maryland2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 15 | 6 | 21 |
| Georgia | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Ohio | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Indiana | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Maryland | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| New York | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Texas | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All 12 states
| Massachusetts | 1 |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 1 |
Source: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2025 filing, page 55
Who owns Asian Chao?
Asian Chao franchises are sold by Food Systems Unlimited, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From Food Systems Unlimited, Inc’s 2025 filing, page 7.
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: Food Systems Unlimited, Inc, 2025 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Asian Chao filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Food Systems Unlimited, Inc’s 2025 filing, issued May 15, 2025; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | May 15, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
| 2023 filing | May 10, 2023 | NASAA depository | Locations, 2020–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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