Nautical Bowls franchise
2024 filing · March 22, 2024GrowingShares sales figures
Nautical Bowls at a glance
A fast-casual shop serving superfood smoothie bowls and healthy drinks. At the end of 2023 there were 63 Nautical Bowls locations in the US, 62 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2020
- 4 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Excelsior, Minnesota
- Typical size
- 450–1,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $222K–$409K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $39,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- $2,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 63
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 62
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 2 years
- +62
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 18
- Most in Minnesota, Texas and Florida
Support and records
From Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 53; 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
Nautical Bowls among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Nautical Bowls | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $315,800 | Costs less than 55% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $39,500 | Lower than 57% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 63 | More than 68% of franchises |
How much a Nautical Bowls franchise costs
Opening one Nautical Bowls costs an estimated $222,250 to $409,350. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($103,000 to $203,000) and fixtures, furniture, and equipment ($32,000 to $40,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $39,500 | ||
| Lease Security Deposit | $3,000 | $20,000 | |
| Rent | $2,000 | $7,000 | |
| Architect and Permitting Fees | $12,500 | $20,000 | |
| Water, sewer, and Municipality Impact Fees | $0 | $20,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $103,000 | $203,000 | |
| Signage | $6,000 | $14,000 | |
| Fixtures, Furniture, and Equipment | $32,000 | $40,000 | |
| POS System | $1,000 | $2,500 | |
| Back Office Computer Hardware and Software | $1,000 | ||
| Smallwares, Uniforms, and Initial Supplies | $2,750 | $3,250 | |
| Utility Deposits | $500 | $600 | |
| Professional Services | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $7,500 | $8,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Training Expenses | $1,000 | $2,500 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds – Three months | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Total | $222,250 | $409,350 | |
Source: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 13
Nautical Bowls franchise fee
The franchise fee is $39,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
| Transfer Fee – Non-controlling interest transfer | $2,500 |
| Renewal Fee | $2,500 |
| Local Advertising | 2% of Gross Revenue |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 10–11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Nautical Bowls publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 32
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $220K–$400K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Nautical Bowls franchisees
Lenders approved 68 SBA 7(a) loans for Nautical Bowls franchisees from 2021 to 2026, $18.6M in all. Of the 23 that have ended, 18 were paid in full and 5 were charged off (21.7%). The other 45 haven’t ended 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
How Nautical Bowls compares
Of the 60 smoothie franchises on this site, Nautical Bowls is the 28th cheapest to open and the 14th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Nautical Bowls | Typical smoothie brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $222K | $227K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $409K | $519K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 63 | 20 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 3.6% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 45 of 60 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 60 brands in smoothie franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 (0) | 2 | – | – |
| 2021 | 4 (+4) | 0 | +4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 28 (+24) | 0 | +24 | 0 |
| 2023 | 62 (+34) | 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: smoothie and juice franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2020 to the end of 2023, franchised locations went from 0 to 62 (+62). The earlier years come from the brand's 2023 filing.
Source: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 35
2020: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2023 filing, page 37
Where Nautical Bowls locations are
At the end of 2023, Nautical Bowls had locations in 18 states. The most are in Minnesota, Texas and Florida.
- Minnesota28
- Texas5
- Florida4
- Illinois4
- Arizona3
- Kansas2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 27 | 1 | 28 |
| Texas | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Florida | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Illinois | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Arizona | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Kansas | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Utah | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Virginia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All 18 states
| Arkansas | 1 |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 |
| New York | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 |
| South Carolina | 1 |
| South Dakota | 1 |
Source: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 36
Who owns Nautical Bowls?
Nautical Bowls franchises are sold by Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC.
From Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 9–10. |
|---|---|
| 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: Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on pages 9–10, bankruptcy on page 10
Nautical Bowls filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Nautical Bowls Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued March 22, 2024; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | March 22, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
| 2023 filing | – | NASAA depository | Locations, 2020 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other smoothie franchises
All smoothie franchises
Nautical Bowls is also on these lists: food franchises.