Crafty Crab franchise
2023 filing · July 14, 2023
Crafty Crab at a glance
A casual seafood restaurant. At the end of 2022 there were 65 Crafty Crab locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Crafty Crab Franchising LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Green Cove Springs, Florida
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $953K–$1.83M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 3%
- 3% of gross revenues, paid monthly, plus up to 1.5% (currently 1%) to the system advertising fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross revenue; it can rise to 1.5%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 65
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 65
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
From Crafty Crab Franchising LLC’s 2023 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Crafty Crab among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Crafty Crab | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,392,100 | Costs more than 88% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 3% | Lower than 98% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 65 | More than 69% of franchises |
How much a Crafty Crab franchise costs
Opening one Crafty Crab costs an estimated $952,800 to $1,831,399. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Crafty Crab Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 18
Crafty Crab franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Crafty Crab Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 3% of gross revenues, paid monthly, plus up to 1.5% (currently 1%) to the system advertising fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross revenue; it can rise to 1.5%. |
| Technology Fee | When instituted: Up to 1% of Gross Revenues (Currently not assessed) |
| On-Site Training and Assistance | $300 per trainer per day |
| Required Minimum Expenditure for Local Advertising | $5,000 one month before scheduled opening; then 1% of Gross Revenues |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Crafty Crab Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 10–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Crafty Crab 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: Crafty Crab Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 55
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.9M–$3.3M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Crafty Crab compares
Of the 813 restaurant franchises on this site, Crafty Crab is the 663rd cheapest to open and the 180th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Crafty Crab | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $953K | $408K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.83M | $866K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 3% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 65 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 (0) | 39 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 59 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 65 | 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: franchise failure rates.
Source: Crafty Crab Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, page 55
Who owns Crafty Crab?
Crafty Crab franchises are sold by Crafty Crab Franchising LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Crafty Crab Franchising LLC’s 2023 filing, page 7.
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: Crafty Crab Franchising LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Crafty Crab filings
The figures on this page come from Crafty Crab Franchising LLC’s 2023 filing, issued July 14, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | July 14, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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