Bennigan's franchise
2024 filing · March 25, 2024
Bennigan's at a glance
An Irish-themed restaurant serving lunch and dinner entrees, with a full bar. At the end of 2023 there were 10 Bennigan's locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2009
- 15 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.07M–$3.66M
- Standard restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales each accounting period
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales; it can rise to 2%
- Renewal fee
- $15,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 15 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 10
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 10
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 5
- Most in Iowa, Texas and Illinois
From Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 141; 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
Bennigan's among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Bennigan's | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $2,364,880 | Costs more than 94% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $50,000 | Higher than 70% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 10 | Fewer than 61% of franchises |
How much a Bennigan's franchise costs
Opening standard restaurant costs an estimated $1,070,815 to $3,658,945. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 13
Bennigan's franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales each accounting period. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales; it can rise to 2%. |
| Transfer of Franchise | 50% of our then- current initial franchise fee |
| Renewal | $15,000 |
| Additional Training | Reasonable fee, currently $50 to $120 per hour |
| Local Advertising Requirement | 1% to 2% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC, 2024 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 Bennigan's 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: Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 37
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.6M–$2.9M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Bennigan's franchisees
Lenders approved 9 SBA-backed loans for Bennigan's franchisees from 1997 to 2018, $8.82M in all: 4 7(a) loans and 5 504 loans. Of the 8 that have ended, 5 were paid in full and 3 were charged off. The other one hasn’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Bennigan's | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −17% / 0% | 0% / +3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 17% / 30% | 2.5% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical restaurant brand is the median of the 301 brands in restaurant franchises with three years of counts.
How Bennigan's compares
Of the 813 restaurant franchises on this site, Bennigan's is the 685th cheapest to open and the 430th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Bennigan's | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.07M | $408K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $3.66M | $866K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 10 | 14 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 474 of 813 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 813 brands in restaurant franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 (+1) | 0 | +2 | −1 |
| 2022 | 12 (+1) | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 10 (−2) | 0 | 0 | −2 |
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: Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 38
Where Bennigan's locations are
At the end of 2023, Bennigan's had franchised locations in 5 states. The most are in Iowa, Texas and Illinois.
- Iowa4
- Texas3
- Illinois1
- Michigan1
- North Dakota1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Iowa | 4 |
| Texas | 3 |
| Illinois | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 |
Source: Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 38
Who owns Bennigan's?
Bennigan's franchises are sold by Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC.
From Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC’s 2024 filing.
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: Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Bennigan's filings
The figures on this page come from Bennigan's Franchising Company, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued March 25, 2024, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | March 25, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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