Small Town Play Café franchise
2025 filing · June 16, 2025Shares sales figures
Small Town Play Café at a glance
A children's play space with open play, parties and classes, alongside a café serving coffee, baked goods, breakfast and lunch. At the end of 2024 there were 1 Small Town Play Café locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $501K–$792K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $45,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 1
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
From Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Small Town Play Café among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Small Town Play Café | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $646,709 | Costs more than 73% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $45,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 1 | Fewer than 88% of franchises |
How much a Small Town Play Café franchise costs
Opening one Small Town Play Café costs an estimated $500,965 to $792,452. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction, leasehold improvements ($258,613 to $395,525) and additional funds – 3 months ($57,091 to $108,766). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $45,000 | ||
| Construction, Leasehold Improvements | $258,613 | $395,525 | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $15,368 | $23,948 | |
| Equipment | $26,910 | $38,870 | |
| Signage (interior and exterior) | $4,455 | $17,590 | |
| Computer, Software and POS System | $11,492 | $15,464 | |
| Opening Inventory | $18,900 | $27,300 | |
| Rent Deposits | $22,400 | $54,600 | |
| Utility Deposits | $981 | $1,417 | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums | $1,981 | $8,173 | |
| Pre-opening Travel Expense | $1,000 | $3,100 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $29,700 | $39,600 | |
| Business Permits and | $4,500 | $6,000 | |
| Menu Printing, Stationery and Office Supplies | $1,575 | $2,100 | |
| Additional funds – 3 Months | $57,091 | $108,766 | |
| Total | $500,965 | $792,452 | |
Source: Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 19
Small Town Play Café franchise fee
The franchise fee is $45,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%. |
| NSF Check Fee of Failed Electronic Fund Transfer | $50 per violation |
| Additional Attendees During Initial Training | Currently $500 per day per person plus expenses incurred. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Small Town Play Café publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 62
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $630K–$1.1M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Small Town Play Café franchisees
Lenders approved one SBA 7(a) loan for a Small Town Play Café franchisee in 2026, for $630K. 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
How Small Town Play Café compares
Of the 168 entertainment franchises on this site, Small Town Play Café is the 112th cheapest to open and the 135th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Small Town Play Café | Typical entertainment brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $501K | $286K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $792K | $598K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $45K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.3% | 2% |
| US locations | 1 | 8 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 113 of 168 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 168 brands in entertainment franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (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: franchise failure rates.
Source: Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, page 66
Who owns Small Town Play Café?
Small Town Play Café franchises are sold by Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC.
From Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC’s 2025 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 page 6. |
|---|---|
| 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: Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 6, bankruptcy on page 10
Small Town Play Café filings
The figures on this page come from Small Town Play Cafe Franchising LLC’s 2025 filing, issued June 16, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | June 16, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other entertainment franchises
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Small Town Play Café is also on these lists: food franchises.