Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) franchise
2025 filing · January 29, 2025Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) at a glance
A fast-casual restaurant serving soups, sandwiches, salads and bowls, with catering, under the Z!Eats and Zoup! names. At the end of its 2024 fiscal year there were 36 Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) locations in the US, 35 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Zoup Franchising Co., LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Typical size
- 1,600–2,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $498K–$713K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of net sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 3%
- 3% of net sales, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- $17,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 36
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 35
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- −28
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 10
- Most in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania
From Zoup Franchising Co., LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $605,150 | Costs more than 71% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 36 | More than 59% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $577,191 | Lower than 65% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.0× | Lower than 79% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) franchise costs
Opening one Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) costs an estimated $497,800 to $712,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($220,500 to $330,000) and equipment ($125,000 to $143,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Architectural Plan Review | $0 | $1,000 | |
| Architect Fees | $13,500 | $15,500 | |
| Permits & License Fee | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $220,500 | $330,000 | |
| Equipment | $125,000 | $143,000 | |
| Furniture | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Millwork | $11,000 | $15,000 | |
| Smallwares | $9,000 | $20,000 | |
| Exterior Signage | $7,000 | $14,000 | |
| Interior Signage and Graphics | $4,300 | $9,500 | |
| Technology Systems | $25,000 | $32,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $15,000 | ||
| Uniforms, Menu Materials, Office Supplies | $2,000 | $4,500 | |
| Travel & Living Expenses While Training | $0 | $7,500 | |
| Opening Inventory | $7,500 | $12,000 | |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $3,500 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $15,000 | $35,000 | |
| Total | $497,800 | $712,500 | |
Source: Zoup Franchising Co., LLC, 2025 filing, page 19
Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Zoup Franchising Co., LLC, 2025 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of net sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of net sales, paid weekly. |
| Technology License and Development Fee | $605 - $1,400 |
| Renewal Fee | $17,500 |
| Local Advertising and Promotion | 2% of Net Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Zoup Franchising Co., LLC, 2025 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from page 13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average net sales
- $577,191
Yearly figures for fiscal 2024 (year to September 29, 2024), covering franchised restaurants open all of fiscal 2024 (29 locations). The filing gives an average for each quartile rather than one overall figure; this is the overall average worked out from those and each one's number of locations. The average is about 1 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Zoup Franchising Co., LLC, 2025 filing, page 49
SBA loans to Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) franchisees
Lenders approved 70 SBA 7(a) loans for Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) franchisees from 2009 to 2024, $20.8M in all. Of the 60 that have ended, 45 were paid in full and 15 were charged off (25%). The other 10 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
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) | Typical fast food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −29% / −44% | 0% / +5.6% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 33% / 54% | 3.7% / 17% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical fast food brand is the median of the 124 brands in fast food franchises with three years of counts.
How Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) compares
Of the 309 fast food franchises on this site, Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) is the 214th cheapest to open and the 126th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) | Typical fast food brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $498K | $353K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $713K | $786K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $577K | $1.14M | $794K |
| US locations | 36 | 23 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 189 of 309 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 309 brands in fast food franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 62 (−1) | 1 | +2 | −3 |
| 2023 | 49 (−13) | 1 | +2 | −15 |
| 2024 | 35 (−14) | 1 | +2 | −16 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The outlet years below are the franchisor's fiscal years, which end in late September.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: fast food franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Zoup Franchising Co., LLC, 2025 filing, page 50
Where Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) locations are
At the end of 2024, Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) had franchised locations in 10 states. The most are in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
- Michigan10
- Ohio6
- Pennsylvania5
- Colorado4
- Canada3
- Illinois3
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 10 |
| Ohio | 6 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 |
| Colorado | 4 |
| Canada | 3 |
| Illinois | 3 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| South Dakota | 1 |
Source: Zoup Franchising Co., LLC, 2025 filing, page 51
Who owns Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!)?
Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) franchises are sold by Zoup Franchising Co., LLC.
From Zoup Franchising Co., LLC’s 2025 filing.
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: Zoup Franchising Co., LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) filings
The figures on this page come from Zoup Franchising Co., LLC’s 2025 filing, issued January 29, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | January 29, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!) is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.