Franchise Facts Report → brands → The Hot Spot
The Hot Spot franchise — is it worth it?
Low risk Growing network Item 19 disclosed
The Hot Spot is a growing brand in the 'Other' category, offering a relatively low initial investment range of $82,600 to $156,200.
Everything below is free, read straight off The Hot Spot's registered filing, with where the numbers land against other peers. Weighing The Hot Spot against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in The Hot Spot's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 641149 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
Considering The Hot Spot? 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. The Hot Spot will be on it if it fits.
How much does a The Hot Spot franchise make?
The Hot Spot 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.
The Hot Spot 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 The Hot Spot's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a The Hot Spot franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "The Hot Spot franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
The Hot Spot lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
The Hot Spot's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) discloses no litigation in Item 3. That is a real signal rather than a gap: the FTC Franchise Rule requires a franchisor to disclose material litigation involving itself, its predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 in a current filing means there was nothing it was required to report. It is worth reading alongside the churn numbers — a system can have a clean Item 3 and still be losing franchisees, which is what Item 20 shows.
The Hot Spot closures & failure rate
Before you sign, The Hot Spot 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 The Hot Spot's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a other 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. The Hot Spot's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Net franchised outlets moved +16 to 23 in the latest reported year.
Who owns The Hot Spot?
The Hot Spot's franchise is offered by The Hot Spot Studios 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.
Franchises at a similar investment level at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing The Hot Spot 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.
The Hot Spot franchise — frequently asked
Who owns The Hot Spot — who is the franchisor?
The Hot Spot's most recently filed FDD (2026) names The Hot Spot Studios 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 The Hot Spot franchise cost?
The Hot Spot's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $82,600 – $156,200 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against other peers it sits in the upper quartile (median $227,750).
How much profit does a The Hot Spot franchise make?
The Hot Spot discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for The Hot Spot), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any The Hot Spot franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does The Hot Spot disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — The Hot Spot 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 The Hot Spot?
No — The Hot Spot's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses no litigation in Item 3. Franchisors must disclose material litigation involving themselves, their predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 is a genuine signal rather than an omission.
Is The Hot Spot a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from The Hot Spot's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against other 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 The Hot Spot or other: 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.