Lost Dog Cafe franchise
2024 filing · September 24, 2024
Lost Dog Cafe at a glance
A pizza and deli restaurant serving upscale pizza, sandwiches and deli food for dine-in, carry-out and local delivery. At the end of 2023 there were 5 Lost Dog Cafe locations in the US, 4 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Lost Dog Cafe Corporation
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $804K–$1.49M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of net sales, paid monthly, plus up to 2% for marketing and 0.5% on local advertising
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 2% of net sales
- Renewal fee
- $10,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 5
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 4
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 1
- Most in Virginia
From Lost Dog Cafe Corporation’s 2024 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 127; 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
Lost Dog Cafe among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Lost Dog Cafe | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,146,750 | Costs more than 86% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 5 | Fewer than 71% of franchises |
How much a Lost Dog Cafe franchise costs
Opening one Lost Dog Cafe costs an estimated $803,500 to $1,490,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are fixtures, furnishings & leasehold improvements ($736,500 to $1,336,500) and st month's lease payment and security deposit ($10,000 to $30,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Site Evaluation Fee | $0 | $1,500 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising Fee | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| St Month's Lease Payment and Security Deposit | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Travel & Living Expenses While Training | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Computer Equipment | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Signage | $2,000 | $5,000 | |
| Fixtures, Furnishings & Leasehold Improvements | $736,500 | $1,336,500 | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $10,000 | $25,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $0 | $25,000 | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months including Travel & Living Expenses While Training | $0 | $2,000 | |
| Total | $803,500 | $1,490,000 | |
Source: Lost Dog Cafe Corporation, 2024 filing, page 15
Lost Dog Cafe franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Lost Dog Cafe Corporation, 2024 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of net sales, paid monthly, plus up to 2% for marketing and 0.5% on local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 2% of net sales. |
| Computer System Maintenance Fees | $15,000 - $25,000 |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| Renewal | $10,000 |
| Local Advertising Fee | 0.5% of Net Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Lost Dog Cafe Corporation, 2024 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Lost Dog Cafe 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: Lost Dog Cafe Corporation, 2024 filing, page 40
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $850K–$1.5M
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 | Lost Dog Cafe | Typical sandwich brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 2% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical sandwich brand is the median of the 35 brands in sandwich franchises with three years of counts.
How Lost Dog Cafe compares
Of the 80 sandwich franchises on this site, Lost Dog Cafe is the 70th cheapest to open and the 56th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Lost Dog Cafe | Typical sandwich brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $804K | $321K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.49M | $683K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $32K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 5 | 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 | 4 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 (0) | 1 | 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: sandwich and sub franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Lost Dog Cafe Corporation, 2024 filing, page 41
Where Lost Dog Cafe locations are
At the end of 2023, Lost Dog Cafe had locations in 1 state. The most are in Virginia.
- Virginia5
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Source: Lost Dog Cafe Corporation, 2024 filing, page 42
Who owns Lost Dog Cafe?
Lost Dog Cafe franchises are sold by Lost Dog Cafe Corporation.
From Lost Dog Cafe Corporation’s 2024 filing.
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: Lost Dog Cafe Corporation, 2024 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Lost Dog Cafe filings
The figures on this page come from Lost Dog Cafe Corporation’s 2024 filing, issued September 24, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | September 24, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other sandwich franchises
All sandwich franchises
Lost Dog Cafe is also on these lists: pizza franchises, restaurant franchises, food franchises.