Cheeky Monkeys franchise
2025 filing · August 25, 2025Growing
Cheeky Monkeys at a glance
An indoor children's play center hosting open play, birthday parties and events. At the end of 2024 there were 10 Cheeky Monkeys locations in the US, 5 franchised and 5 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Franchisor
- Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2021
- 4 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Plano, Texas
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $724K–$1.12M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of all revenues, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 1% of revenue once the fund is set up; it can rise to 3%
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 10
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 5
- Company-owned
- 5
- Change in 3 years
- +5
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 1
- Most in Texas
Support and records
From Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC’s 2025 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 132; 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
Cheeky Monkeys among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Cheeky Monkeys | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $922,775 | Costs more than 81% 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 | 10 | Fewer than 61% of franchises |
How much a Cheeky Monkeys franchise costs
Opening one Cheeky Monkeys costs an estimated $723,550 to $1,122,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($175,000 to $275,000) and play structure package ($170,000 to $220,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fees | $40,000 | ||
| Site Evaluation Fee | $1,000 | ||
| Security Deposit for Commercial Lease | $18,000 | $35,000 | |
| Other Security Deposits | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Business License/Gov’t Fees & Approvals | $300 | $1,500 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $175,000 | $275,000 | |
| Audio Visual, Security, Cameras Etc. (Equipment & Installation) | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Architectural Plans | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Café equipment & Café Furniture | $65,000 | $85,000 | |
| Smallware & Disposables | $3,500 | $5,500 | |
| Exterior Signage | $12,500 | $22,500 | |
| Interior Signage, Graphics & Rules | $14,500 | $44,500 | |
| Furniture, Fixture & Equipment | $20,000 | $35,000 | |
| Point of Sales and Computer Systems | $7,500 | $15,000 | |
| Play Structure Package | $170,000 | $220,000 | |
| Play Structure Unloading & Installation | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Play Structure Freight, Tax, Duty & Import Fees | $20,000 | $35,000 | |
| Project Management Services | $23,000 | $27,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Training: Travel & Living Expenses | $1,500 | $4,500 | |
| Initial Inventory | $5,500 | $8,500 | |
| Insurance | $8,500 | $27,500 | |
| Third Party Inspections | $1,250 | $4,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising (including the Grand Opening Promotion Amount) | $10,000 | $25,000 | |
| Working Capital | $78,500 | $130,500 | |
| Total | $723,550 | $1,122,000 | |
Source: Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC, 2025 filing, page 12
Cheeky Monkeys franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC, 2025 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of all revenues, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of revenue once the fund is set up; it can rise to 3%. |
| Technology Fee | $200 per month |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| Initial Training Fee for Additional Trainees | $1,000 |
| Local Marketing Requirement | Currently 1% of Revenues, will not exceed 2% |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC, 2025 filing, pages 9 and 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Cheeky Monkeys 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: Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC, 2025 filing, page 33
SBA loans to Cheeky Monkeys franchisees
Lenders approved 9 SBA 7(a) loans for Cheeky Monkeys franchisees from 2021 to 2025, $7.62M in all. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 8 haven’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
How Cheeky Monkeys compares
Of the 168 entertainment franchises on this site, Cheeky Monkeys is the 125th cheapest to open and the 70th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Cheeky Monkeys | Typical entertainment brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $724K | $286K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.12M | $598K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 10 | 8 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 4.5% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 113 of 168 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 168 brands in entertainment franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 (+1) | 3 | +1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 (+1) | 4 | +1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 (+3) | 5 | +3 | 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: Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC, 2025 filing, page 34
Where Cheeky Monkeys locations are
At the end of 2024, Cheeky Monkeys had locations in 1 state. The most are in Texas.
- Texas10
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 5 | 5 | 10 |
Source: Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC, 2025 filing, page 35
Who owns Cheeky Monkeys?
Cheeky Monkeys franchises are sold by Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC. It is a subsidiary of Playtime Hospitality, LLC.
From Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC’s 2025 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 pages 8–9. |
|---|---|
| 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: Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 8–9, bankruptcy on page 9
Cheeky Monkeys filings
The figures on this page come from Cheeky Monkeys Franchise Systems LLC’s 2025 filing, issued August 25, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | August 25, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
