Sauce on the Side franchise
2026 filing · April 29, 2026Shares sales figures
Sauce on the Side at a glance
A fast-casual restaurant serving fresh calzones, salads and desserts. At the end of 2025 there were 12 Sauce on the Side locations in the US, 6 franchised and 6 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- FOTS, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2017
- 9 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Typical size
- 2,200–3,200 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $494K–$794K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- $30,000 for each additional unit under a development agreement for three or more
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus up to 3% (currently 1%) for advertising and a $20 weekly technology fee
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 25% of the then current initial franchise fee
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 12
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 6
- Company-owned
- 6
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 3
- Most in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois
From FOTS, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Sauce on the Side among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sauce on the Side | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $643,750 | Costs more than 73% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 12 | Fewer than 58% of franchises |
How much a Sauce on the Side franchise costs
Opening one Sauce on the Side costs an estimated $494,000 to $793,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are improvements/construction/and interior decorating ($231,000 to $361,000) and kitchen equipment/furniture/fixtures/smallwares ($150,000 to $230,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Vehicle | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Lease Deposit and Rent | $9,000 | $17,500 | |
| Improvements/Construction/and Interior decorating | $231,000 | $361,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $28,000 | |
| Kitchen Equipment/Furniture/Fixtures/Smallwares | $150,000 | $230,000 | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| POS/Computer System | $11,000 | $13,000 | |
| Licenses, Dues, Deposits, etc. | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Travel and Living Expenses while Training | $1,000 | $15,000 | |
| Opening Inventory/Supplies | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,000 | $6,000 | |
| Insurance (per quarter) | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $30,000 | $50,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $3,000 | $8,000 | |
| Total | $494,000 | $793,500 | |
Source: FOTS, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Sauce on the Side franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000, $30,000 for each additional unit under a development agreement for three or more. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: FOTS, LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus up to 3% (currently 1%) for advertising and a $20 weekly technology fee. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%. |
| Technology Fee | $20 per week |
| 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: FOTS, LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Sauce on the Side publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: FOTS, LLC, 2026 filing, page 36
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $810K–$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, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Sauce on the Side | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / 0% | 0% / +3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 2.5% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 33% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical restaurant brand is the median of the 301 brands in restaurant franchises with three years of counts.
How Sauce on the Side compares
Of the 813 restaurant franchises on this site, Sauce on the Side is the 496th cheapest to open and the 404th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Sauce on the Side | Typical restaurant brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $494K | $408K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $794K | $866K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 12 | 14 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 474 of 813 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 813 brands in restaurant franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 (−1) | 6 | +1 | −2 |
| 2024 | 6 (+1) | 6 | +1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 6 (0) | 6 | 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: franchise failure rates.
Source: FOTS, LLC, 2026 filing, page 39
Where Sauce on the Side locations are
At the end of 2025, Sauce on the Side had locations in 3 states. The most are in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.
- Missouri9
- Indiana2
- Illinois1
Source: FOTS, LLC, 2026 filing, page 40
Who owns Sauce on the Side?
Sauce on the Side franchises are sold by FOTS, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From FOTS, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 6.
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: FOTS, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 9
Sauce on the Side filings
The figures on this page come from FOTS, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 29, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 29, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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