Franchise Facts Report → brands → Hardtop Hotel
Hardtop Hotel franchise — is it worth it?
Low risk No franchised units open yet Item 19 disclosed
Hardtop Hotel LLC offers a franchise opportunity with a moderate investment range of $124,340 to $191,875.
Everything below is free, read straight off Hardtop Hotel's registered filing, with where the numbers land against category peers. Weighing Hardtop Hotel against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Hardtop Hotel's most recent FDD (registered 2025). Source: California Dept. of Financial Protection and Innovation — Franchise Registration · filing app-32687 — check it yourself. See every other California-registered franchise.
Considering Hardtop Hotel? 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. Hardtop Hotel will be on it if it fits.
How much does a Hardtop Hotel franchise make?
Hardtop Hotel 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 other brand that discloses earnings in the Other franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Hardtop Hotel 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 Hardtop Hotel's 8% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Hardtop Hotel franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Hardtop Hotel franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
Hardtop Hotel lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Hardtop Hotel's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2025) does disclose 1 legal proceeding 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 Hardtop Hotel 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.
Hardtop Hotel closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Hardtop Hotel 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 Hardtop Hotel'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. Hardtop Hotel reports no franchised units open yet — there is no operating track record to churn.
Who owns Hardtop Hotel?
Hardtop Hotel's franchise is offered by Hardtop Hotel 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.
Franchises at a similar investment level at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Hardtop Hotel 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.
Hardtop Hotel franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Hardtop Hotel — who is the franchisor?
Hardtop Hotel's most recently filed FDD (2025) names Hardtop Hotel 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 Hardtop Hotel franchise cost?
Hardtop Hotel's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $124,340 – $191,875 and a 8% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against category peers it sits in the upper quartile (median $227,750).
How much profit does a Hardtop Hotel franchise make?
Hardtop Hotel discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (8% of gross for Hardtop Hotel), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Hardtop Hotel franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does Hardtop Hotel disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Hardtop Hotel 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 Hardtop Hotel?
Hardtop Hotel's most recently filed FDD (2025) discloses 1 legal proceeding in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Hardtop Hotel itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Is Hardtop Hotel a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Hardtop Hotel's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against category peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is low 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 Hardtop Hotel 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 state registries this page is built on.