Franchise Facts Report → brands → Taco John's
Taco John's franchise — is it worth it?
Risk level — in the report
Taco John's is a well-established quick-service restaurant brand with over 300 locations.
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 category 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 Taco John's's most recent FDD (registered 2024). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 32484-202410-02. 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 Taco John's franchise make?
Taco John's 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 Taco John's reports, what that figure does and doesn't include, and where it ranks against category peers are in the full report. See every other brand that discloses earnings in the Other franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Taco John's 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 Taco John's's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Taco John's franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Taco John's franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. The full report sets Taco John's's disclosed revenue against its total ongoing fee load, so you can see what that revenue has to cover before anything reaches you.
Taco John's lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Taco John's's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) 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.
Taco John's closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Taco John's 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 Taco John's's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a franchise 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. Taco John's's latest tables show a shrinking franchised network — more units left than opened. The actual closure and termination counts, and how Taco John's's churn ranks against category peers, are in the full report.
The actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against category peers, litigation and churn detail — emailed as a PDF.
Who owns Taco John's?
Taco John's's franchise is offered by TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL 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.
Franchises at a similar investment level at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Taco John's 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.
Taco John's franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Taco John's — who is the franchisor?
Taco John's's most recently filed FDD (2024) names TACO JOHN'S INTERNATIONAL 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 Taco John's franchise cost?
Taco John's's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $1,330,000 – $2,079,000, with an initial franchise fee of $20,000 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 category peers.
How much profit does a Taco John's franchise make?
Taco John's discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for Taco John's), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Taco John's 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 Taco John's disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Taco John's reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The full report shows the actual revenue figures and how they rank against category peers.
Are there lawsuits against Taco John's?
No — Taco John's's most recently filed FDD (2024) 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 Taco John's a good franchise to buy?
That comes down to how Taco John's's investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against category 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: Taco John's's risk level and what's driving it, the actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against category 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 Taco John's or this category: 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.