FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

Verified — real FDD extraction

Not found in the SBA Franchise Directory — SBA financing may be unavailable; verify with your lender

Genji Sushi Bars

Food & Dining · independent · est. —

Genji Sushi operates sushi bars and counters, commonly located inside grocery stores like Whole Foods, where staff prepare fresh sushi for grab-and-go and made-to-order sales. A franchisee runs one or more in-store sushi counters, managing chefs, daily fresh preparation, and the small retail operation.

Genji Sushi Bars net unit count declined -1.3% from 20222024 per its FDD Item 20.

New to franchising? Start here

A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.

Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:

  • Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
  • Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
  • Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).

The verdict

Too new to judge

Distress

0
STABLE

37 franchised units over 3 disclosed years is not a track record — systems this early have realized only a fraction of their eventual failures. Judge the disclosures, not a verdict.

Exit rate · latest year

0.0%

vs 8.2% across 146 food & dining systems

Cost to open

$42K–$134K

Item 7 total investment range

SBA loan defaults

No loan record

no SBA 7(a)/504 loans found for this brand

Behind the verdict

the record, factor by factor · Item 20

hi-1.0.0
Net unit growth35%

3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1

Fair
Exit quality25%

terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3

Strong
Transfer / churn15%

transfers vs. base · Table 3

Strong
Promise-keeping10%

actual vs. projected openings · Table 5

Not Disc.
Transparency15%

Item 19 disclosure + completeness

Weak

Systemwide units

2022–2024

-1.3%
228202222820232252024

Survival record

FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year

In fiscal 2024, 0 of 13 franchised outlets left the system — a 0.0% annualized exit rate, vs 8.2% across 146 food & dining systems. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.

Show the outlet tables
Status (FTC)202220232024
Outlets at start226228228
Opened01324
Transfers000
Terminations000
Non-renewals000
Reacquired by franchisor000
Ceased — other reasons000
Outlets at end228228225
Net change+20-3

What it costs — and what it drags

FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty

Buying in means a $5K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $42K–$134K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes no earnings claim (Item 19) — ask current and former franchisees for real numbers.

To open (Item 7)

$42K–$134K

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$5K

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

45%

of sales, ongoing

If a unit does this in annual sales…$1M/yr

Your figure — this brand discloses no Item 19 earnings; validate with current & former owners.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$450K

45% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$4.5M

royalties alone, excl. ad fund

This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.

Build a real pro-forma for Genji Sushi Bars with an independent CPA

Distress signals

news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits

No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for Genji Sushi Bars. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.

7 questions to ask a Genji Sushi Bars franchisee

Built from this brand's own disclosures · take it to your validation calls

The franchisor will give you a list of owners to call. Most buyers ask whether they like it. These are the questions built from what Genji Sushi Bars has actually disclosed — each one carries the number it came from, so you can tell whether the answer squares with the record.

  1. 01

    The system went from 228 units to 225 over 3 disclosed years. What's the explanation you've been given, and do you believe it?

    A shrinking system means fewer owners funding the ad fund and support staff you're paying for.

    FDD Item 20 · FY2022–FY2024

  2. 02

    You pay 45.0% royalty on gross sales, plus the ad fund, before any of your own costs. On your actual revenue last year, what did you take home as the owner — not revenue, take-home?

    Royalty is charged on sales, not profit. This is the number the brochure never shows and the one your life actually runs on.

    FDD Item 6

  3. 03

    Genji Sushi Bars’ FDD makes no financial performance representation at all — legally, they've told buyers nothing about earnings. What did your first 24 months actually look like, month by month?

    When a franchisor won't publish numbers, existing owners are the only source. Silence in Item 19 is a choice, not a requirement.

    FDD Item 19 · 2024

  4. 04

    How many months did it take to cover your own costs, and how much cash did you burn getting there?

    Ramp-to-breakeven working capital is the most underestimated line in any franchise purchase, and the most common reason otherwise-good units fail.

    Not disclosed in any FDD — ask an owner

  5. 05

    What does the franchisor charge for that you didn't expect — required tech fees, mandatory remodels, approved-supplier pricing?

    Required spending appears across Items 6, 8 and 11 rather than in one place, so buyers routinely miss the total.

    FDD Items 6, 8, 11

  6. 06

    If your agreement came up for renewal tomorrow at current terms, would you sign again?

    The single most predictive question you can ask. A hesitation is the answer.

    Ask every owner you speak to

  7. 07

    Who else should I call — including someone who left?

    The franchisor's list is curated by definition. Former franchisees are where the unflattering truth lives, and current owners usually know how to reach them.

    Ask every owner you speak to

Want this as a checklist you can take to the calls?

I'll email you the printable version, and tell you if Genji Sushi Bars’ numbers move — a new filing, a rising exit rate, a distress signal. Unsubscribe in one click.

Before you sign anythingfree · 30 min · no commission

A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Genji Sushi Bars's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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Own or owned a Genji Sushi Bars?no appointment · read by a person

This page is what buyers see before they call you for validation. If the record above is wrong — or right in a way the numbers can't show — say so. Corrections are checked against the filings; nothing you write is published with your name unless you agree to it.

Genji Sushi Bars franchise questions, answered from the filings

What percentage of Genji Sushi Bars franchises closed last year?

In Genji Sushi Bars's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2024), 0 of 13 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 0.0% — compared with 8.2% across 146 food & dining systems tracked here. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.

How much does a Genji Sushi Bars franchise cost?

Per Genji Sushi Bars's 2024 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $5K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $42K–$134K (Item 7).

What royalty does Genji Sushi Bars charge?

Genji Sushi Bars charges an ongoing royalty of 45.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2024 FDD.

Does Genji Sushi Bars disclose earnings (Item 19)?

No — Genji Sushi Bars's 2024 FDD makes no financial performance representation in Item 19. That is legal and common, but it means the franchisor publishes no earnings claim; ask current franchisees for real numbers.