Max's Restaurant franchise
2022 filing · April 20, 2022Growing
Max's Restaurant at a glance
A full-service, family-style restaurant serving Filipino cuisine, known for its fried chicken. At the end of 2021 there were 20 Max's Restaurant locations in the US, 15 franchised and 5 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- eMax's, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2002
- 20 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Boulder, Colorado
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $729K–$1.84M
- A flagship Max's Restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- For a flagship restaurant; $25,000 is due when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of net sales, paid monthly, plus up to 3% (currently 0.5%) to the advertising fund
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 3% of net sales, paid with the royalty
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 20
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 15
- Company-owned
- 5
- Change in 2 years
- +5
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 8
- Most in California, Canada and Hawaii
From eMax's, LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Max's Restaurant among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Max's Restaurant | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,284,500 | Costs more than 87% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $50,000 | Higher than 70% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 20 | Fewer than 50% of franchises |
How much a Max's Restaurant franchise costs
Opening a flagship Max's Restaurant costs an estimated $729,000 to $1,840,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements and fixtures ($300,000 to $1,200,000) and kitchen equipment and supplies ($250,000 to $350,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50,000 | ||
| Initial Rent Deposit | $6,000 | $27,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $2,000 | $5,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements and Fixtures | $300,000 | $1,200,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $20,000 | $35,000 | |
| Insurance | $12,000 | $26,000 | |
| Training Expenses | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $4,000 | $7,000 | |
| Kitchen Equipment and Supplies | $250,000 | $350,000 | |
| Legal and Accounting Fees | $5,000 | ||
| Licenses and Permits | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| POS System | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| Additional Funds | $30,000 | $40,000 | |
| Total | $729,000 | $1,840,000 | |
Source: eMax's, LLC, 2022 filing, page 18
Max's Restaurant franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000, for a flagship restaurant; $25,000 is due when you sign. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: eMax's, LLC, 2022 filing, page 13
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of net sales, paid monthly, plus up to 3% (currently 0.5%) to the advertising fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 3% of net sales, paid with the royalty. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: eMax's, LLC, 2022 filing, page 15
Sales and earnings
No figures Max's Restaurant 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: eMax's, LLC, 2022 filing, page 61
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.5M–$2.7M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Max's Restaurant compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Max's Restaurant is the 85th cheapest to open and the 40th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Max's Restaurant | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $729K | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.84M | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 20 | 10 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 3.6% | 4.5% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | +50% | +16.7% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 61 of 113 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 113 brands in chicken franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 13 (+3) | 5 | +3 | 0 |
| 2020 | 14 (+1) | 5 | – | – |
| 2021 | 15 (+1) | 5 | +2 | −1 |
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: chicken franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: eMax's, LLC, 2022 filing, page 62
Where Max's Restaurant locations are
At the end of 2021, Max's Restaurant had locations in 9 states and territories. The most are in California, Canada and Hawaii.
- California6
- Canada5
- Hawaii2
- New Jersey2
- Guam1
- Illinois1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Canada | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Guam | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nevada | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Texas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Washington | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: eMax's, LLC, 2022 filing, page 63
Who owns Max's Restaurant?
Max's Restaurant franchises are sold by eMax's, LLC. It is a subsidiary of MGI, M Food Concepts, Inc.
From eMax's, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 9.
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: eMax's, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 13, bankruptcy on page 13
Max's Restaurant filings
The figures on this page come from eMax's, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 20, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 20, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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