Buena Onda franchise
2022 filing · May 4, 2022Shares sales figures
Buena Onda at a glance
A fast-casual restaurant serving Baja-style fish tacos, burritos and Mexican dishes. At the end of 2021 there were 1 Buena Onda locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Buena Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Typical size
- 800–2,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $468K–$884K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of net sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of net sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 1
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 2 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 1
- Most in Pennsylvania
Support and records
- Lawsuits disclosed
- Yes
- Latest filing
- May 4, 2022
- 2022 filing
From Buena Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Buena Onda among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Buena Onda | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $675,950 | Costs more than 74% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 1 | Fewer than 88% of franchises |
How much a Buena Onda franchise costs
Opening one Buena Onda costs an estimated $468,400 to $883,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements and hood system ($200,000 to $450,000) and furniture, fixtures, and equipment ($150,000 to $200,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Security Deposit under Lease and Lease-Related Payments through First 3 Months of Operations (from the Premises) | $12,000 | $48,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $150,000 | $200,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements and Hood System | $200,000 | $450,000 | |
| Initial Marketing Spend | $7,500 | $10,000 | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $3,500 | $5,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $5,000 | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $1,000 | $3,500 | |
| Initial Inventory Package (Pre-Opening Only) | $7,000 | $10,000 | |
| Signage | $4,000 | $18,000 | |
| Small Wares | $3,000 | $9,000 | |
| Legal and Professional Fees | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| POS/Back Office System | $3,000 | $15,000 | |
| Construction Drawings | $2,500 | $15,000 | |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $30,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $468,400 | $883,500 | |
Source: Buena Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 17
Buena Onda franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Buena Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of net sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of net sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%. |
| Transfer Fee | $15,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Buena Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from page 14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Buena Onda publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Buena Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 51
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $760K–$1.4M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Buena Onda compares
Of the 55 Mexican food franchises on this site, Buena Onda is the 29th cheapest to open and the 50th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Buena Onda | Typical Mexican food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $468K | $457K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $884K | $946K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 1 | 15 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 38 of 55 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 55 brands in mexican food franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 (0) | 1 | – | – |
| 2020 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 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: fast food franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Buena Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 55
Where Buena Onda locations are
At the end of 2021, Buena Onda had locations in 1 state. The most are in Pennsylvania.
- Pennsylvania1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Buena Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 55
Who owns Buena Onda?
Buena Onda franchises are sold by Buena Franchising, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Buena Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 6.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 11. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | No bankruptcy of the franchisor. A restaurant company led by one of its officers filed for Chapter 11 in 2018; the case was dismissed in 2019. |
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: Buena Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Buena Onda filings
The figures on this page come from Buena Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued May 4, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | May 4, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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