Franchise Facts Report → brands → Project LeanNation
Project LeanNation franchise — is it worth it?
Risk level — in the report
Project LeanNation is a food and beverage franchise with an initial investment ranging from $237,500 to $354,000.
Unlock what the free page above only hints at:
- The actual Item 19 earnings — reported average unit revenue, not just “disclosed.”
- How it compares — every number ranked against food & beverage peers (median & quartile).
- Litigation detail — each case, franchisee vs. corporate, with summaries.
- Outlet churn & the questions to ask — behind the net change above: closures, terminations, transfers, and what to put to the franchisor.
Figures above are as disclosed in Project LeanNation's most recent FDD (registered 2024). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 32926-202502-08. The risk level, the Item 19 figures, how it compares to peers, and the litigation & churn detail are in the full report.
How much does a Project LeanNation franchise make?
Project LeanNation is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The average revenue Project LeanNation reports, what that figure does and doesn't include, and where it ranks against food & beverage peers are in the full report. See every food & beverage brand that discloses earnings in the Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Project LeanNation franchise profit vs. revenue
Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come Project LeanNation's 7% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Project LeanNation franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Project LeanNation franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. The full report sets Project LeanNation's disclosed revenue against its total ongoing fee load, so you can see what that revenue has to cover before anything reaches you.
Project LeanNation lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
We do not publish a litigation answer for Project LeanNation. Item 3 could not be read reliably from this particular filing, and a claim that a company has no legal history is not one to make on a failed parse — so we say we do not know instead. Item 3 of the FDD itself is the place to check; the methodology page explains what we do and do not machine-read.
Project LeanNation closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Project LeanNation will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Project LeanNation's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a food & beverage of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Project LeanNation's latest tables show a growing franchised network. The actual closure and termination counts, and how Project LeanNation's churn ranks against food & beverage peers, are in the full report.
The actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against food & beverage peers, litigation and churn detail — emailed as a PDF.
Who owns Project LeanNation?
Project LeanNation's franchise is offered by Project Lean Nation Franchising, Inc. — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at MN CARDS; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Project LeanNation is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
Project LeanNation franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Project LeanNation — who is the franchisor?
Project LeanNation's most recently filed FDD (2024) names Project Lean Nation Franchising, Inc. as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a Project LeanNation franchise cost?
Project LeanNation's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $237,500 – $354,000, with an initial franchise fee of $135,000 and a 7% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. The full report breaks down every fee line and benchmarks it against food & beverage peers.
How much profit does a Project LeanNation franchise make?
Project LeanNation discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (7% of gross for Project LeanNation), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Project LeanNation franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate. The full report shows the disclosed revenue against the full ongoing fee load it has to cover.
Does Project LeanNation disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Project LeanNation reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The full report shows the actual revenue figures and how they rank against food & beverage peers.
Are there lawsuits against Project LeanNation?
We do not publish a litigation answer for Project LeanNation: Item 3 could not be read reliably from this filing, and we would rather say so than assert a clean record we have not verified. Item 3 of the FDD itself is the place to check.
Is Project LeanNation a good franchise to buy?
That comes down to how Project LeanNation's investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers — which is exactly what the full report answers. For $99 you get the risk level and what's driving it, the actual Item 19 earnings (disclosed in this FDD), where every figure ranks against peers, and the specific questions to ask the franchisor before you sign.
Everything the sections above point to, in one place: Project LeanNation's risk level and what's driving it, the actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against food & beverage peers, and the litigation & churn detail — with the questions to put to the franchisor before you sign.
Get a free email when something changes on Project LeanNation or food & beverage: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same registries every report is built on.