Is TravelCenters of America (TA Express Center) a good franchise to buy?

Whether TravelCenters of America (TA Express Center) is a good franchise investment depends on your personal goals, available capital, and local market conditions. We recommend reviewing the full FDD, speaking with existing franchisees listed in Item 20, and consulting with a franchise attorney before making a decision.

TravelCenters of America (TA Express Center)

TA Express Centers are limited-service travel centers located near highways on smaller parcels of land, offering fuel (diesel and gasoline), quick-service restaurants, showers, truck and car parking, and other amenities, but without full truck repair services typical of larger TA Centers. Franchisees operate under the TA Express System, adhering to standardized procedures, designs, and core programs provided by TA Franchise Systems LLC. The primary target market is commercial truck operators on North American highways, with a secondary market of non-commercial motorists.

$1117K–$7985K

Investment

Since 2018

Franchising

Travel & TourismWestlake, OHTravelCenters of America Inc.www.ta-petro.com/franchisingDisclaimer

Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee

$125,000

Item 5 of FDD

Initial Investment Range

$1,117,000 – $7,985,000

Low: $1,117,000High: $7,985,000

Item 7 of FDD

Royalty Rate

4.50%

of gross sales

Brand Fund

N/A

Item 6 of FDD

Tiered royalty (4.5% Non-QSR Gross Sales to $600k/mo then 2%, 2% QSR Gross Sales, $0.007/gal Motor Fuel) + 0.2% Administrative Fee (Non-Fuel Gross Sales to $600k/mo) + $3,000/mo Advertising 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

How TravelCenters of America (TA Express Center) Compares

Key Insights

Higher investment than 100% of Specialty Retail franchises

Franchise	Investment	Fee	Royalty	Locations
TravelCenters of America (TA Express Center) Current	$1.1M – $8.0M	$125K	4.5%	N/A
MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS	$48K – $260K	N/A	N/A	797
CORNWELL	$80K – $324K	N/A	N/A	793
BATTERIES PLUS	$263K – $497K	$45K	5.0%	604
PET SUPPLIES PLUS	$537K – $2.0M	$50K	3.0%	502
WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED	$227K – $379K	$40K	4.0%	340
Specialty Retail Average 46 franchises	$285K – $708K	$38K	5.0%	–

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 46 Specialty Retail 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

Top States

1TX

2SD

3ND

4KS

5MO

6IL

7LA

8OK

9OR

10PA

11TN

12UT

13AZ

14WI

15CA

+3 more states

Franchisee Contacts

83 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

Name	Address	Phone	Email	SBA Loan
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC	123 Main St Anytown, CA 90210	(555) 123-4567	john@example.com	$350,000 2023 · Active
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC	123 Main St Anytown, CA 90210	(555) 123-4567	john@example.com	$350,000 2023 · Active
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC	123 Main St Anytown, CA 90210	(555) 123-4567	john@example.com	$350,000 2023 · Active
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC	123 Main St Anytown, CA 90210	(555) 123-4567	john@example.com	$350,000 2023 · Active
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC	123 Main St Anytown, CA 90210	(555) 123-4567	john@example.com	$350,000 2023 · Active

83 Contacts Available

Unlock all TravelCenters of America (TA Express Center) franchisee contacts with verified contact information

Due Diligence

Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases0

No litigation involving franchisees reported

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo

No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations

N/A

Non-Renewals

N/A

Reacquired

N/A

Ceased Ops

N/A

Transfers

N/A

Sold to Franchisees

N/A

Projected New

N/A

Frequently Asked Questions

The total initial investment to open a TravelCenters of America (TA Express Center) franchise ranges from $1,117,000 to $7,985,000. This includes a franchise fee of $125,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 4.5% of gross sales.