Nautical Bowls Franchise – Costs, Fees & Earnings Statistics

Nautical Bowls is a unique business that is a healthy fast-casual concept offering delicious and fresh acai bowls. Started back in 2018 by husband and wife, Bryant and Rachel Amundson, the Nautical Bowls business has been booming with a 75% year-over-year growth for their first two locations.

This business appeals to those looking to live a healthy lifestyle allowing for fresh superfood bowls packing all the essential vitamins in the form of a quick and healthy meal.

The Nautical Bowls management have fine-tuned the operations to offer the best healthy meal experience in the restaurant industry with an uplifting atmosphere and delivering amazing service to their customers.

Their product offerings are part of a rapidly growing market of healthy acai bowls packed with essential vitamins that make for the complete meal that tastes great while remaining reasonably priced.

Is Nautical Bowls a franchise?

Yes, Nautical Bowls is a franchise investment opportunity. In June of 2021, the Amundsons teamed up with franchise veteran Peter Taunton to roll out a national franchising program. Taunton is an ideal franchise partner for the Nautical Bowls founders as he most notably grew Snap Fitness from one location to over a thousand in just a six year period.

How many Nautical Bowls locations are there?

At the time of this article being written, here are the statistics for Nautical Bowls franchises according to their website (stats include their two Nautical Bowls corporate stores):

• Territories sold: 69
• Stores open: 7
• In buildout: 14
• In-site selection search: 18

The company’s 2022 goals include:

• Stores open: 60-80
• Locations sold: 120-150

This type of growth is excellent for such a short period, but the Nautical Bowls culture and top-notch guest experience make it have such an extremely loyal following and be able to remain a rapidly growing segment in this post-COVID environment.

Available Markets in United States: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

How much is a Nautical Bowls franchise?

Here are the figures for the cost of a Nautical Bowls franchise including the initial investment, royalty fee, brand fund, and the franchise fee:

• Royalty: 6% of gross sales
• Brand Fund: Floating, but will never exceed 2%
• Franchise Fee: $30,000
• Cash Investment: $50,000-$70,000
• Total Investment: $150,000 – $249,000
• Net Worth: $250,000

Franchise partners gain access to an experienced executive team offering a highly profitable business model, franchise partner training with extremely simplified processes, and exceptional marketing support to start their franchisee journey set up for success.

How much does a Nautical Bowls franchise owner make?

This number can vary greatly depending on location, how well it is run and other variables.

Here are the financial performance numbers of the initial two fiscal years of the first Nautical Bowls location in Minnetonka, Minnesota:

Minnetonka Store’s Earnings Breakdown for 2019

• Gross Sales – $893,201
• Cost of Goods – $317,101
• Labor Costs – $223,366 (does NOT include any owner’s salary)
• Rent – $35,101

Total expenses: $575,568

Total profit: $317,663

Minnetonka Store’s Earnings Breakdown for 2020

• Gross Sales – $1,279,998
• Cost of Goods – $525,898
• Labor Costs – $198,820 (does NOT include any owner’s salary)
• Rent – $48,327

Total expenses: $773,045

Total profit: $506,953

As you can see, a Nautical Bowls ownership is a profitable endeavor if you have the right execution and team management. The opportunity has amazing business potential with a lower initial investment than most other franchising opportunities.

However, a ballpark estimate for the net profit for a Nautical Bowls franchise owner can be estimated at $300,000 – $510,000 per year, but again this number has the capability to fluctuate tremendously in either direction.

The Wolf’s Take

The Nautical Bowls franchise opportunity caught my attention right off the bat with its low investment range and impressive performance through the pandemic. I’m excited to see where this business goes as it ramps up its franchising program and as more locations open.

In addition to the strong unit economics, the founders partnered with Peter Taunton to head up franchise opportunities and development – Peter previously worked at Snap Fitness, and helped bring that brand over 1,000 locations. This type of leadership and franchising know-how is crucial for a successful roll-out.

With already 31+ units in development in its first year of franchising, Nautical Bowls is off to a great start, offering an incredible ground floor opportunity and is definitely a brand to watch.