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CORELIFE EATERY
CoreLife Eatery franchises operate fast-casual restaurants featuring assembly-line style, build-your-own bowls with greens, grains, proteins, bone broths, soups, wraps, tacos, smoothies, snacks, and beverages made from clean ingredients with minimal processing. The franchisor primarily offers area development franchises granting rights to open multiple CoreLife Eateries in designated areas according to a development schedule, with individual franchise agreements for each location, though single-unit franchises are available in select situations like non-traditional venues. The target market is the general public seeking healthy, customizable meals in retail strip malls, urban areas, shopping centers, and travel hubs.
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Franchise Costs
5% royalty + 2% brand fund + $130/mo hosted solutions fee (up to $435/mo total) + up to $62.50/wk ($271/mo) technology fee
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 dataCORELIFE EATERY Franchise Analysis
In the crowded fast-casual space, CoreLife Eatery's focus on clean, customizable bowls positions it as a healthier alternative to typical chains—but a recent dip in total locations raises eyebrows. Without Item 19 disclosure, earnings remain a black box, forcing reliance on indirect signals like SBA lending patterns. What do those 15 loans averaging near the full investment range suggest about real-world viability, and is the contraction a temporary hiccup or a warning sign?
Item 7 lays out a hefty initial investment of $789,500 to $1,044,000, including a $35,000 franchise fee, driven by build-out costs for strip mall and urban spots. Ongoing fees stack up at 5% royalty plus 2% brand fund, plus a $130/month hosted solutions fee and up to $62.50/week technology charge—potentially $700+ monthly extras that squeeze margins in a high-labor food category. No Item 19 means no official revenue or profit figures, a red flag for due diligence since you can't benchmark against category norms like $1M+ AUVs in similar healthy fast-casual peers; this opacity heightens risk for the $800K+ outlay.
System metrics show vulnerability: total units fell from 29 in 2022 to 27 in 2023 (-7%), with 24 franchised and 25 corporate, signaling stalled expansion eight years post-2016 franchising launch. Terminations hit 2 and transfers 4 last year—low absolute numbers but notable for a small system—while 15 SBA loans averaging $788,607 align with investment lows, hinting lenders see payback potential yet few borrowers overall. For investors eyeing area development deals, this contraction trend amid extra fees demands scrutiny: is CoreLife scaling sustainably, or is the healthy niche too competitive for $1M commitments without proven unit economics?
Analysis based on the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. All figures should be independently verified before making investment decisions.
How CORELIFE EATERY Compares
Key Insights
- Higher investment than 83% of Fast Casual franchises
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CORELIFE EATERY Current | $790K – $1.0M | $35K | 5.0% | 24 |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | $276K – $771K | $35K | 6.0% | 1,650 |
| TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ | $300K – $721K | $35K | 6.0% | 1,371 |
| FIREHOUSE SUBS RESTAURANTS (UNIT) | $405K – $1.6M | $20K | 6.0% | 1,249 |
| Zaxby's | $1.4M – $3.8M | $35K | 6.0% | 826 |
| Qdoba | $548K – $1.3M | $40K | 5.0% | 652 |
Fast Casual Average 107 franchises | $529K – $1.2M | $39K | 5.6% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 107 Fast Casual franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2023)
Outlets by state across the United States
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Unlock location growth dataSBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for CORELIFE EATERY franchisees (2017 – 2024)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
15 SBA loans on record
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Unlock SBA loan historyFranchisee Contacts
12 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
12 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 CORELIFE EATERY franchise ranges from $789,500 to $1,044,000. This includes a franchise fee of $35,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.
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