The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs franchise
2024 filing · February 28, 2024Fewer locations
The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs at a glance
A sub shop serving hot and cold submarine sandwiches, salads and soups in a rock-and-roll setting. At the end of 2023 there were 21 The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs locations in the US, 11 franchised and 10 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- SRC DCS, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Gates Mills, Ohio
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $253K–$561K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6% + minimum
- The greater of 6% of weekly gross sales or $200, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present; up to 3% of the prior week's gross sales once a fund is formed
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 21
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 11
- Company-owned
- 10
- Change in 3 years
- −13
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 3
- Most in Ohio, Georgia and Vermont
From SRC DCS, LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $407,110 | Costs more than 55% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 21 | More than 50% of franchises |
How much a The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs franchise costs
Opening one The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs costs an estimated $253,000 to $561,220. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: SRC DCS, LLC, 2024 filing, page 18
The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: SRC DCS, LLC, 2024 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 6% of weekly gross sales or $200, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present; up to 3% of the prior week's gross sales once a fund is formed. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: SRC DCS, LLC, 2024 filing, page 11
Sales and earnings
No figures The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs 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: SRC DCS, LLC, 2024 filing, page 58
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $600K–$1.1M
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, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs | Typical sandwich brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −15% / −54% | 0% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 13% | 2% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 15% / 42% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical sandwich brand is the median of the 35 brands in sandwich franchises with three years of counts.
How The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs compares
Of the 80 sandwich franchises on this site, The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs is the 25th cheapest to open and the 42nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs | Typical sandwich brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $253K | $321K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $561K | $683K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $32K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 21 | 31 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 50 of 80 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 80 brands in sandwich franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 (−11) | 8 | 0 | −11 |
| 2023 | 11 (−2) | 10 | 0 | −2 |
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: sandwich and sub franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: SRC DCS, LLC, 2024 filing, page 59
Where The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs locations are
At the end of 2023, The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs had locations in 3 states. The most are in Ohio, Georgia and Vermont.
- Ohio18
- Georgia1
- Vermont1
Source: SRC DCS, LLC, 2024 filing, page 61
Who owns The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs?
The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs franchises are sold by SRC DCS, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From SRC DCS, LLC’s 2024 filing, page 8.
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: SRC DCS, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs filings
The figures on this page come from SRC DCS, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued February 28, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | February 28, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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The Original Dave's Cosmic Subs is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.