Franchise Facts Report → brands → Moe's Southwest Grill
Moe's Southwest Grill franchise — is it worth it?
High risk Shrinking network Item 19 disclosed
Moe's Southwest Grill is a quick-service restaurant franchise requiring an initial investment between $644,425 and $1,968,450.
Everything below is free, read straight off Moe's Southwest Grill's registered filing, with where the numbers land against quick-service restaurant peers. Weighing Moe's Southwest Grill against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Moe's Southwest Grill's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 640669 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
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How much does a Moe's Southwest Grill franchise make?
Moe's Southwest Grill 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 is $1,184,316 in average unit revenue — read it alongside what Item 19 says about which units it covers (often only mature or top-performing locations). See every quick-service restaurant brand that discloses earnings in the Fast food & quick-service restaurant franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Moe's Southwest Grill 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 Moe's Southwest Grill's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Moe's Southwest Grill franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Moe's Southwest Grill franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. On $1,184,316 of revenue, a 5% royalty alone is about $59,216 a year before any other cost.
Moe's Southwest Grill lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Moe's Southwest Grill's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 6 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 Moe's Southwest Grill 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. 3 of those proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
Moe's Southwest Grill closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Moe's Southwest Grill 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 Moe's Southwest Grill's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a quick-service restaurant 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. Moe's Southwest Grill's latest tables show a shrinking franchised network — more units left than opened. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 6.8%, against a quick-service restaurant median of 2.9% — worse than the category. Net franchised outlets moved -28 to 563 in the latest reported year.
Who owns Moe's Southwest Grill?
Moe's Southwest Grill's franchise is offered by MOE'S FRANCHISOR SPV LLC — 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 WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Quick-service restaurant franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Moe's Southwest Grill 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.
Moe's Southwest Grill franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Moe's Southwest Grill — who is the franchisor?
Moe's Southwest Grill's most recently filed FDD (2026) names MOE'S FRANCHISOR SPV 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 Moe's Southwest Grill franchise cost?
Moe's Southwest Grill's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $644,425 – $1,968,450, with an initial franchise fee of $35,500 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against quick-service restaurant peers it sits in the bottom quartile (median $604,609).
How much profit does a Moe's Southwest Grill franchise make?
Moe's Southwest Grill discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for Moe's Southwest Grill), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Moe's Southwest Grill franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate. The headline figure Moe's Southwest Grill discloses is $1,184,316 in average unit revenue.
Does Moe's Southwest Grill disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Moe's Southwest Grill reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure is $1,184,316 in average unit revenue, as the franchisor states it.
Are there lawsuits against Moe's Southwest Grill?
Moe's Southwest Grill's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 6 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 Moe's Southwest Grill itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. 3 of the disclosed proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor.
Is Moe's Southwest Grill a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Moe's Southwest Grill's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against quick-service restaurant peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is high 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 Moe's Southwest Grill or quick-service restaurant: 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.