Matchbox franchise
2024 filing · March 6, 2024
Matchbox at a glance
A full-service American bistro serving wood-fired pizzas, mini burgers, salads and entrées. At the end of 2023 there were 13 Matchbox locations in the US, 1 franchised and 12 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2018
- 6 years of selling franchises
- First location
- 2003
- Franchisor based in
- Reston, Virginia
- Typical size
- 4,500–5,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.1M–$2.31M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $60,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the marketing fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 25% of the then current initial franchise fee
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 13
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 1
- Company-owned
- 12
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 3
- Most in Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland
From TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Matchbox among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Matchbox | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,703,000 | Costs more than 91% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $60,000 | Higher than 88% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 13 | Fewer than 57% of franchises |
How much a Matchbox franchise costs
Opening one Matchbox costs an estimated $1,100,000 to $2,306,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are build-out/construction ($787,500 to $1,622,500) and fixture package ($100,000 to $300,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $60,000 | ||
| Travel Expenses to Attend Training | $1,000 | $10,000 | |
| Rent | $35,000 | $75,000 | |
| Build-Out/Construction | $787,500 | $1,622,500 | |
| Fixture Package | $100,000 | $300,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Signage | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Computer Hardware, Software, and POS System | $7,500 | $17,500 | |
| Insurance | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Licenses, Permits | $5,000 | $8,000 | |
| Grand Opening Campaign | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| Legal & Accounting | $4,000 | $8,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months | $50,000 | $100,000 | |
| Total | $1,100,000 | $2,306,000 | |
Source: TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 15
Matchbox franchise fee
The franchise fee is $60,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the marketing fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Computer Hardware, Software, and POS System | $7,500 |
| Transfer Fee | $15,000 |
| Renewal Fee | 25% of the then current initial franchise fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Matchbox 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: TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 38
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.6M–$2.8M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Matchbox franchisees
Lenders approved one SBA 7(a) loan for a Matchbox franchisee in 2019, for $300K. It hasn’t been paid off or charged off 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
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Matchbox | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / 0% | 0% / −3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 2.8% / 9.1% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical pizza brand is the median of the 49 brands in pizza franchises with three years of counts.
How Matchbox compares
Of the 122 pizza franchises on this site, Matchbox is the 110th cheapest to open and the 69th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Matchbox | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.1M | $349K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $2.31M | $787K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $60K | $30K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.9% | 2% |
| US locations | 13 | 26 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 63 of 122 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 122 brands in pizza franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 (0) | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 (0) | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 (0) | 12 | 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: pizza franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 39
Where Matchbox locations are
At the end of 2023, Matchbox had locations in 4 states and territories. The most are in Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland.
- Virginia5
- District of Columbia3
- Maryland3
- Florida2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Maryland | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Florida | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Source: TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 40
Who owns Matchbox?
Matchbox franchises are sold by TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC.
From TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | The franchisor's predecessor filed for Chapter 11 liquidation in August 2020; its liquidation plan took effect in March 2021. |
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: TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Matchbox filings
The figures on this page come from TH Matchbox Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued March 6, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | March 6, 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 pizza franchises
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Matchbox is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.