Cousins Maine Lobster franchise
A Cousins Maine Lobster franchisee operates a food truck serving lobster and other seafood dishes. At the end of 2025 there were 84 Cousins Maine Lobster locations in the US, 78 franchised and 6 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $194K–$651K
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Royalty
- 8% + minimum
- Locations, 2025
- 84+40 in 3 yrs
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- Not on the SBA Franchise Directory
From CML FRANCHISE LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Cousins Maine Lobster franchise costs
Opening one food truck costs an estimated $193,900 to $651,200. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: CML FRANCHISE LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
Cousins Maine Lobster franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: CML FRANCHISE LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 8% of gross sales or $3,500 per month. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: CML FRANCHISE LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Cousins Maine Lobster publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: Historical gross sales cover qualifying franchised food trucks, rather than owner profit.. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: CML FRANCHISE LLC, 2026 filing, page 46
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 48 (+10) | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 65 (+17) | 8 | 3 |
| 2025 | 78 (+13) | 6 | 6 |
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.
Source: CML FRANCHISE LLC, 2026 filing, page 50
How Cousins Maine Lobster compares
Of the 136 restaurant franchises on this site, Cousins Maine Lobster is the 9th cheapest to open and the 71st largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Cousins Maine Lobster | Typical restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $194K | $484K |
| Royalty | 8% | 5% |
| Closed or left per year | 6.9% | 3.9% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | +105.3% | +7.9% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 98 of 136 |
Typical is the median across the 136 brands in restaurant franchises.
