Start a Captain D's Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #272 Ranked #309 last year

Initial investment: $899K - $1.4M

Units as of 2024: 537 0.8% over 3 years

The Captain is calling: 'Whalecome' to a refreshing adventure! Captain D's is a chain of fast-food seafood that provides casual dining and high-quality food, with genuine Southern hospitality. Pier-ing into Captain D's beginnings, its humble start back in Tennessee of 1969, goes to show how it has been open for more than 45 years. If you are ready to be outstanding in a sea of ordinary, you may wish to open a Captain D's.

Read on to see why the Captain D's franchise could be a great catch for potential franchisees.

Why You May Want to Start a Captain D's Franchise

The significant advantage of owning a Captain D's franchise is that you may have very little franchise competition. You also may be given the opportunity to stand out from other restaurants and not be in the ocean of sameness that other restaurants tend to find themselves in. In addition, the franchisor sources the seafood and negotiates the best prices for franchisees.

Captain D's could be a game-changer and market disruptor that has continued to experience success. Many times throughout its existence, Captain D's has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

What Might Make a Captain D's Franchise a Good Choice?

Captain D's believes that success is sustainable. To be part of the Captain D's team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, ongoing fees will include advertising, royalty, and renewal fees. Additional expenses may include incorporation fees, business license fees, legal fees, and utility deposits.

The brand is currently in ongoing development, and it is estimated that the new restaurant prototypes can help franchisees reduce their startup costs. Even if startup costs are reduced, franchisees will still need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

Potential franchisees can choose to cater to customers who opt to dine in, drive through, or carry out their fast food seafood.

How To Open a Captain D's Franchise

You can jump into this opportunity and become a Captain D's franchisee by submitting an inquiry form. Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. Speak to existing franchisees and ask questions directed to Captain D's team.

As you decide if you wish to open a Captain D's franchise, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Captain D's franchise would do well in your community. If there are many other seafood restaurants and/or fast food places in the area, you may want to reconsider your decision.

Make waves in your community by providing delicious seafood at an affordable price with a Captain D’s franchise!

Company Overview

About Captain D's

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Seafood , Miscellaneous Quick-Service Restaurants
Founded	1969
Parent Company	Centre Partners
Leadership	Phil Greifeld, CEO
Corporate Address	624 Grassmere Park Dr., #30 Nashville, TN 37211
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1969 (56 years)
# of employees at HQ	66
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises worldwide.
# of Units	537 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Captain D's franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$35,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$898,600 - $1,354,200
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$1,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$350,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	50% off first-unit franchise fee; reduced royalty fee for first year
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	4.5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1.1%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	20 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Captain D's has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	219 hours
Classroom Training	21 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	25
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes