Most sushi franchises are counters inside a supermarket, a college or a hospital cafeteria. The franchisee, often a trained sushi chef, makes sushi fresh each day at the counter and sells it packaged in the store’s cases; the brand usually holds the contract with the store, and both take a share of sales. Because the store supplies the space, a counter costs little to open.
Sushi restaurants and poke bowl shops are ordinary restaurant franchises with a dining room and a kitchen, and cost several times more.
The sushi franchises
Sushi counters inside stores
| Brand | Cost to open | Locations | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace SushiA sushi counter preparing and selling food inside a host grocery or retail venue.$18K–$120K | $18K–$120K | 586 | +234 |
| Yummi SushiA sushi kiosk preparing and selling packaged sushi inside a host retail store.$31K–$322K | $31K–$322K | 560 | +264 |
| Mai SushiA sushi bar inside a host store, making pre-packaged and made-to-order sushi and Japanese dishes under the Mai or Genji name.$26K–$77K | $26K–$77K | 362 | +76 |
| Sushi AvenueA sushi bar inside grocery and other stores, run by a sushi chef selling freshly made sushi.$31K–$103K | $31K–$103K | 323 | – |
| Genji SushiA sushi bar inside grocery stores and other retailers, selling packaged and made-to-order sushi and rice and noodle bowls.$42K–$134K | $42K–$134K | 225 | – |
| International Food CreationsA sushi and Asian food counter inside a supermarket or other host store.$25K–$121K | $25K–$121K | 76 | – |
| Bento SushiA sushi counter operating within a host retail location.$21K–$146K | $21K–$146K | 61 | −36 |
| Omari SushiA sushi kiosk preparing and selling food inside a host retail location.$28K–$109K | $28K–$109K | 14 | +14 |
Sushi and Japanese restaurants
| Brand | Cost to open | Locations | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock N Roll SushiA Rock N Roll Sushi franchisee operates a music-themed sushi restaurant.$326K–$959K | $326K–$959K | 79 | +18 |
| AfuriA fast-casual ramen restaurant with a choice of broths, noodles and toppings, plus sushi, rice bowls and Japanese appetizers.$591K–$1.15M | $591K–$1.15M | 6 | – |
| KinyaA full-service Japanese restaurant serving ramen, sushi, appetizers and drinks, often with a full bar.$389K–$1.56M | $389K–$1.56M | 4 | – |
| SAIJO Hand Roll BarA Japanese restaurant serving freshly made sushi-style hand rolls, grilled skewers and appetizers, in casual dining and fast-casual formats.$1.22M–$1.93M | $1.22M–$1.93M | 0 | – |
Poke bowl restaurants
| Brand | Cost to open | Locations | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| PokeworksA Pokeworks franchisee operates a fast-casual restaurant serving Hawaiian poke and related dishes.$270K–$600K | $270K–$600K | 69 | +5 |
| PokemotoA fast-casual shop serving poke bowls, salads and wraps with many toppings, plus smoothies.$185K–$378K | $185K–$378K | 33 | – |
| Aloha Poke Co.A fast-casual restaurant serving build-your-own poke bowls of marinated fish and other toppings.$141K–$476K | $141K–$476K | 17 | – |
| Poki BowlA fast-casual restaurant serving build-your-own poke bowls.$188K–$423K | $188K–$423K | 17 | – |
| Koibito PokeA fast-casual restaurant serving build-your-own poke bowls.$273K–$577K | $273K–$577K | 11 | – |
| Poke Bowl UnitedA fast-casual poke restaurant serving Hawaiian-Japanese bowls.$214K–$496K | $214K–$496K | 7 | – |
| Blowfish PokeA restaurant serving poke bowls, lo mein, shrimp tempura, tofu bao and loaded fries.$156K–$339K | $156K–$339K | 5 | – |
| FusabowlA fast-casual restaurant serving hibachi bowls, poke bowls and sushi rolls.$304K–$627K | $304K–$627K | – | – |
| Island Fin PokeA fast-casual restaurant serving build-your-own Hawaiian-style poke bowls.$274K–$440K | $274K–$440K | – | – |
What sushi franchises cost to open
The typical brand here costs $185K at the low end of its estimate and $423K at the high end. The lowest starting cost is Ace Sushi’s, from $18K. Use each brand’s full range for budgeting: the low end is a small site in a cheaper market.
| Kind | Brands | Typical cost to open |
|---|---|---|
| Sushi counters inside stores | 8 | $27K–$120K |
| Sushi and Japanese restaurants | 4 | $490K–$1.36M |
| Poke bowl restaurants | 9 | $214K–$476K |
A counter needs a refrigerated case, rice cookers, prep tables and a small opening stock of fish and supplies, set into space the host store provides. Restaurants spend most on the build-out of a leased space and the kitchen. Poke shops sit between the two: a fast-casual line with no cooking of the fish.
Fees and royalties
The typical franchise fee is $30K and the typical royalty 5.3% of sales, plus 1% for marketing. Of these brands, 7 charge a flat, tiered or other royalty instead of one percentage. Royalties come off sales before rent, wages or loan payments. The fees and royalties guide compares industries.
What locations sell
Of these brands, 3 publish a comparable yearly sales figure per location; the typical one is $1.07M. Sales are before costs, so they say nothing on their own about profit.
| Brand | Yearly sales | Sales ÷ cost |
|---|---|---|
| PokeworksDecember 30, 2024 – December 28, 2025, 52 locations | $1.08M | 2.5× |
| Rock N Roll Sushi2025, 66 locations | $1.07M | 1.7× |
| Poki Bowl2022, 7 locations | $598K | 2× |
Which sushi franchises are growing
Of the 7 brands with three years of location figures, 6 grew from 2023 to 2025 and 1 shrank, a net change of +575 locations between them. The typical one lost 6.6% of its franchised locations a year to closures, terminations and non-renewals, against 3.0% across all franchises. On the SBA Franchise Directory are 6 of the 21, so SBA-backed loans are open to them.
Before you buy
For a counter, read who controls the store contract: usually the brand, which can move or close your counter if the store ends the deal. Ask what share of sales goes to the brand and the store combined, how many hours a day a counter needs, and what food safety rules for raw fish your state applies. For restaurants, raw fish is a large and volatile food cost; ask owners what it runs as a share of sales.
Questions
Do I need to be a sushi chef to run a sushi counter franchise?
Many counter brands expect the owner to make the sushi, and train new owners for several weeks before they open. Some let owners hire trained chefs and run several counters. Either way the work starts early each morning, so ask how many hours a counter owner usually works.
How do sushi counters inside grocery stores get paid?
Usually from a share of the counter's sales. The host store keeps part of what the counter sells under the brand's contract with the store chain, the brand takes its royalty, and the owner keeps the rest before fish, rice and packaging. Ask each brand for the combined split and how often owners are paid.