Carrabba's Italian Grill franchise
2025 filing · April 25, 2025Fewer locations
Carrabba's Italian Grill at a glance
A casual-dining Italian restaurant serving wood-fire grilled dishes, pastas and cocktails. At the end of 2024 there were 210 Carrabba's Italian Grill locations in the US, 18 franchised and 192 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1997
- 28 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Tampa, Florida
- Typical size
- 5,000–6,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $4.26M–$9.04M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of monthly net sales
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 50% of then-current initial franchise fee
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 210
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 18
- Company-owned
- 192
- Change in 3 years
- −2
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 29
- Most in Florida, Texas and Georgia
From Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Carrabba's Italian Grill among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Carrabba's Italian Grill | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $6,651,500 | Costs more than 97% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 210 | More than 86% of franchises |
How much a Carrabba's Italian Grill franchise costs
Opening one Carrabba's Italian Grill costs an estimated $4,260,000 to $9,043,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are building construction ($2,000,000 to $2,700,000) and site construction ($50,000 to $1,200,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40,000 | ||
| Building construction | $2,000,000 | $2,700,000 | |
| Site construction | $50,000 | $1,200,000 | |
| Design & site development (including professional fees, impact fees, permits and utility connections) | $50,000 | $350,000 | |
| Furniture, fixtures, and equipment (including computer system) | $950,000 | $1,100,000 | |
| Signage | $80,000 | $250,000 | |
| Inventory – first 3 months | $247,000 | $708,000 | |
| Liquor License | $1,000 | $815,000 | |
| Utilities – first 3 months | $17,000 | $46,000 | |
| Opening Crew | $65,000 | $146,000 | |
| Pre-opening food and beverage costs for training | $17,000 | $38,000 | |
| Pre-opening supplies | $5,000 | $21,000 | |
| Pre-opening labor and training expenses | $69,000 | $189,000 | |
| Other miscellaneous opening expenses | $26,000 | $68,000 | |
| Insurance costs | $75,000 | $125,000 | |
| Staffing & employment costs – first 3 months | $471,000 | $918,000 | |
| Legal costs | $15,000 | $70,000 | |
| Rent – first 3 months | $11,000 | $103,000 | |
| Additional funds - first 3 months | $71,000 | $156,000 | |
| Total | $4,260,000 | $9,043,000 | |
Source: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC, 2025 filing, page 22
Carrabba's Italian Grill franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC, 2025 filing, page 15
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of monthly net sales. |
|---|---|
| Furniture, fixtures, and equipment (including computer system) | $950,000 to $1,100,000 |
| Renewal fee | 50% of then-current initial franchise fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC, 2025 filing, page 17
Other fees as filed, from pages 18–22. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Carrabba's Italian Grill 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: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC, 2025 filing, page 51
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $3.8M–$6.7M
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 | Carrabba's Italian Grill | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −5.3% / −10% | 0% / +3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 5% | 2.5% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 5.3% / 5% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical restaurant brand is the median of the 301 brands in restaurant franchises with three years of counts.
How Carrabba's Italian Grill compares
Of the 813 restaurant franchises on this site, Carrabba's Italian Grill is the 809th cheapest to open and the 85th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Carrabba's Italian Grill | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $4.26M | $408K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $9.04M | $866K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 210 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 19 (−1) | 199 | 0 | −1 |
| 2023 | 19 (0) | 198 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 18 (−1) | 192 | 0 | −1 |
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: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC, 2025 filing, page 52
Where Carrabba's Italian Grill locations are
At the end of 2024, Carrabba's Italian Grill had locations in 29 states. The most are in Florida, Texas and Georgia.
- Florida67
- Texas14
- Georgia13
- North Carolina13
- Virginia11
- Ohio9
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 0 | 67 | 67 |
| Texas | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Georgia | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| North Carolina | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Virginia | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| Ohio | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Maryland | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Michigan | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Arizona | 7 | 0 | 7 |
All 29 states
| Colorado | 6 |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 6 |
| South Carolina | 6 |
| New Jersey | 5 |
| Louisiana | 4 |
| Alabama | 3 |
| Indiana | 3 |
| Kentucky | 3 |
| New York | 3 |
| Kansas | 2 |
| Nevada | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 2 |
| Illinois | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 |
| New Hampshire | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 |
| Utah | 1 |
Source: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC, 2025 filing, page 53
Who owns Carrabba's Italian Grill?
Carrabba's Italian Grill franchises are sold by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC. Its ultimate parent is Bloomin’ Brands, Inc.
From Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC’s 2025 filing, page 9.
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 15. |
|---|---|
| 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: Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 15, bankruptcy on page 15
Carrabba's Italian Grill filings
The figures on this page come from Carrabba’s Italian Grill, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued April 25, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | April 25, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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