Franchise Facts Report → brands → Canteen
Canteen franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Item 19 disclosed
Canteen Vending Services offers a low-investment franchise opportunity in the food & beverage sector, with an initial investment ranging from $8,350 to $41,000.
Everything below is free, read straight off Canteen's registered filing, with where the numbers land against food & beverage peers. Weighing Canteen against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Canteen's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: California Dept. of Financial Protection and Innovation — Franchise Registration · filing app-33665 — check it yourself. See every other California-registered franchise.
Considering Canteen? See what else fits your budget
Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. Canteen will be on it if it fits.
How much does a Canteen franchise make?
Canteen 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 headline figure did not machine-read cleanly from this filing, so we don't print one; Item 19 of the source FDD has the tables. See every food & beverage brand that discloses earnings in the Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Canteen 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 Canteen's 3.25% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Canteen franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Canteen franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
Canteen lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Canteen's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 4 legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Canteen itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
Canteen closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Canteen 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 Canteen'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. Canteen's outlet tables did not machine-read cleanly; Item 20 of the source FDD has them.
Who owns Canteen?
Canteen's franchise is offered by Compass Group USA, Inc. (Canteen) — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), 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.
Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Canteen 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.
Canteen franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Canteen — who is the franchisor?
Canteen's most recently filed FDD (2026) names Compass Group USA, Inc. (Canteen) 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 Canteen franchise cost?
Canteen's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $8,350 – $41,000, with an initial franchise fee of $3,250 and a 3.25% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against food & beverage peers it sits in the top quartile (median $379,725).
How much profit does a Canteen franchise make?
Canteen discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (3.25% of gross for Canteen), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Canteen franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does Canteen disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Canteen reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly, so check Item 19 of the source FDD for the numbers.
Are there lawsuits against Canteen?
Canteen's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 4 legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Canteen itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Is Canteen a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Canteen's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on Canteen 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 state registries this page is built on.