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Carrabbaâs Italian Grill
Carrabba’s Italian Grill franchises full-service restaurants offering authentic Italian cuisine using high-quality ingredients to prepare fresh, handmade dishes cooked to order in a lively exhibition kitchen, along with full bar service in a welcoming, contemporary atmosphere. The business model includes granting single-unit franchises or multi-unit development rights to qualified operators, with initial investment ranging from $4.26 million to $9.04 million, and ongoing support through proprietary systems, training, and approved suppliers. It targets diners seeking casual Italian dining experiences, including signature wood-fired grilled items, small plates, and family-style options, primarily for dinner with some lunch service.
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Franchise Costs
5% royalty + 1.92% multi-unit campaign fund + $180-190/mo (help desk, security license, call center)
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
This franchise did not provide Item 19 financial performance data.
Be careful if you are interested in investing. The lack of financial performance representations may indicate limited data or varying results across franchises.
Extracted Item 19 Section
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Unlock financial performance dataCarrabbaâs Italian Grill Franchise Analysis
Casual dining seekers know Carrabba's for its wood-fired grills and handmade Italian dishes in buzzing exhibition kitchens. But its franchise side paints a different picture: a small network tied to a dominant corporate parent, with recent shrinkage hinting at challenges. Item 20 flags shifts in unit counts, while the lack of Item 19 keeps financial performance under wraps—what story do these trends tell for would-be owners?
Item 7 details a steep entry: $4.26 million to $9.04 million total investment for full-service setups with bars, far above many casual dining peers at $1.5M-$5M. Upfront franchise fee hits $40,000, followed by 5% royalty, 1.92% multi-unit campaign fund, and $180-$190 monthly for support services—fees align with category norms but amplify the high barrier. No Item 19 disclosure is a major gap; without AUV or profit benchmarks, investors can't gauge returns in a segment where top performers exceed $2M sales but margins squeeze under 10-15% post-fees.
System maturity since 1997 belies fragility: just 18 franchised locations dwarfed by 192 corporate ones, underscoring Bloomin' Brands' control preference. A -5% drop from 19 to 18 units in 2024 signals contraction, not expansion, with no FDD-projected openings. For multi-unit developers eyeing Italian casual, this combo—sky-high capital, opaque earnings, declining franchises—screams caution; corporate saturation limits territory plays, making it tougher to hit scale versus growing chains.
Analysis based on the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. All figures should be independently verified before making investment decisions.
How Carrabbaâs Italian Grill Compares
Key Insights
- Higher investment than 95% of Casual Dining franchises
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carrabbaâs Italian Grill Current | $4.3M – $9.0M | $40K | 5.0% | 18 |
| IHOP & INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES | $1.8M – $4.5M | $69K | N/A | 1,703 |
| BUFFALO WILD WINGS | $2.5M – $4.9M | $25K | 5.0% | 549 |
| GOLDEN CORRAL STEAKS, BUFFET & BAKERY | $2.1M – $8.5M | $50K | 4.0% | 352 |
| GOLDEN CORRAL | $1.5M – $6.2M | $50K | 4.0% | 344 |
| ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE (THE) | $483K – $1.7M | $60K | 2.0% | 150 |
Casual Dining Average 44 franchises | $1.5M – $3.5M | $44K | 4.7% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 44 Casual Dining franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2024)
Outlets by state across the United States
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Unlock location growth dataFranchisee Contacts
17 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
17 Contacts Available
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Unlock contactsDue Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
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Unlock due diligence reportsFrequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a Carrabbaâs Italian Grill franchise ranges from $4,260,000 to $9,043,000. This includes a franchise fee of $40,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.
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