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RAKKAN RAMEN

Other · independent · est. —

Rakkan Ramen is a Japanese ramen restaurant serving bowls of noodles in rich broths, known for plant-based and vegetable-forward broth options alongside traditional toppings. Customers dine in for made-to-order ramen. A franchisee operates a restaurant, managing kitchen staff, broth and noodle preparation, and dine-in service.

RAKKAN RAMEN net unit count grew +33.3% from 20222025 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

12 franchised units over 4 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

33.3%

fiscal 2025, per Item 20

Cost to open

$380K–$865K

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

Strong
Exit quality25%

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

Weak
Transfer / churn15%

transfers vs. base · Table 3

Strong
Promise-keeping10%

actual vs. projected openings · Table 5

Fair
Transparency15%

Item 19 disclosure + completeness

Strong

Systemwide units

2022–2025

+33.3%
92022152023152024122025

Survival record

FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year

In fiscal 2025, 4 of 12 franchised outlets left the system — a 33.3% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.

Show the outlet tables
Status (FTC)2022202320242025
Outlets at start791515
Opened3611
Transfers0000
Terminations0000
Non-renewals0000
Reacquired by franchisor0000
Ceased — other reasons0014
Outlets at end9151512
Net change+2+60-3

What it costs — and what it drags

FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty

Buying in means a $20K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $380K–$865K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.

To open (Item 7)

$380K–$865K

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$20K

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

5%

of sales, ongoing

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

Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$50K

5% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$500K

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 RAKKAN RAMEN with an independent CPA

Labor record

US Dept. of Labor enforcement · franchisee-level · FY2005–present

Federal investigators have concluded 1 wage case against operators of this system, recovering $48K in back wages for 83 workers. Some of these cases are recent, not ancient history. These cases name franchisee-owned locations, not the franchisor itself.

Concluded cases

1

Back wages owed

$48K

Employees affected

83

Since 2020

1

Read this carefully. The employers in these cases are individual RAKKAN RAMEN franchisees — separately owned businesses operating under the brand name — not RAKKAN RAMEN itself. The franchisor is not the respondent and in most cases is not a party. What the record shows is how this system's operators run their payrolls, which is worth knowing before you become one of them. Counts rise with system size and with age: a 20-year-old, 10,000-unit system will out-count a young one regardless of conduct. Source: DOL Wage and Hour Division concluded compliance actions, FY2005–present, most recent finding 2022.

Distress signals

news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits

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

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RAKKAN RAMEN franchise questions, answered from the filings

What percentage of RAKKAN RAMEN franchises closed last year?

In RAKKAN RAMEN's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 4 of 12 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 33.3%. 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 RAKKAN RAMEN franchise cost?

Per RAKKAN RAMEN's 2025 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $20K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $380K–$865K (Item 7).

What royalty does RAKKAN RAMEN charge?

RAKKAN RAMEN charges an ongoing royalty of 5.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2025 FDD.

Does RAKKAN RAMEN disclose earnings (Item 19)?

Yes — RAKKAN RAMEN makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2025 FDD. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.

Is RAKKAN RAMEN a good franchise to buy? Health score, exit rate & costs (2026) · Franchise Watch Desk