Franchise Facts Report → brands → Tabu Shabu
Tabu Shabu franchise — is it worth it?
Risk level — in the report
Tabu Shabu is a full-service restaurant franchise with an initial investment ranging from $281,300 to $876,100.
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 full-service restaurant 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 Tabu Shabu's most recent FDD (registered 2025). Source: California Dept. of Financial Protection and Innovation — Franchise Registration · filing app-31623. 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 Tabu Shabu franchise make?
Tabu Shabu 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 Tabu Shabu reports, what that figure does and doesn't include, and where it ranks against full-service restaurant peers are in the full report. See every full-service restaurant brand that discloses earnings in the Full-service restaurant franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Tabu Shabu 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 Tabu Shabu's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Tabu Shabu franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Tabu Shabu franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. The full report sets Tabu Shabu's disclosed revenue against its total ongoing fee load, so you can see what that revenue has to cover before anything reaches you.
Tabu Shabu lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Tabu Shabu's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2025) discloses no litigation in Item 3. That is a real signal rather than a gap: the FTC Franchise Rule requires a franchisor to disclose material litigation involving itself, its predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 in a current filing means there was nothing it was required to report. It is worth reading alongside the churn numbers — a system can have a clean Item 3 and still be losing franchisees, which is what Item 20 shows.
Tabu Shabu closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Tabu Shabu 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 Tabu Shabu's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a full-service restaurant 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. Tabu Shabu's latest tables show a stable franchised network. The actual closure and termination counts, and how Tabu Shabu's churn ranks against full-service restaurant peers, are in the full report.
The actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against full-service restaurant peers, litigation and churn detail — emailed as a PDF.
Who owns Tabu Shabu?
Tabu Shabu's franchise is offered by Tabu Shabu Holdings, LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2025), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at CA DFPI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Full-service restaurant franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Tabu Shabu 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.
Tabu Shabu franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Tabu Shabu — who is the franchisor?
Tabu Shabu's most recently filed FDD (2025) names Tabu Shabu Holdings, LLC 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 Tabu Shabu franchise cost?
Tabu Shabu's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $281,300 – $876,100, with an initial franchise fee of $35,000 and a 5% 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 full-service restaurant peers.
How much profit does a Tabu Shabu franchise make?
Tabu Shabu discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for Tabu Shabu), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Tabu Shabu 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 Tabu Shabu disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Tabu Shabu reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The full report shows the actual revenue figures and how they rank against full-service restaurant peers.
Are there lawsuits against Tabu Shabu?
No — Tabu Shabu's most recently filed FDD (2025) discloses no litigation in Item 3. Franchisors must disclose material litigation involving themselves, their predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 is a genuine signal rather than an omission.
Is Tabu Shabu a good franchise to buy?
That comes down to how Tabu Shabu's investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against full-service restaurant 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: Tabu Shabu's risk level and what's driving it, the actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against full-service restaurant 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 Tabu Shabu or full-service restaurant: 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.