Start a WaBa Grill Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $341K - $577K

Units as of 2024: 193 3.2% over 3 years

Sunny California became home to WaBa Grill in 2004 when its founders made their vision of bringing healthy food to the fast-food market a reality. WaBa Grill decided to use fresh ingredients and premium meats to create tasty, healthy ingredients at fast-food speeds. Special attention is given to how the ingredients are prepared, with no heat lamps, fryers, or oil used to make their food.

WaBa Grill strives to provide customers with a welcoming greeting, carefully and quickly prepared meals, and a clean dining area in which customers can enjoy tasty combinations. Marketed to people seeking a healthy alternative without sacrificing flavor or speed, this southern California brand is growing with the potential to come to your community.

Since beginning to franchise in 2006, WaBa Grill has opened over 175 franchises throughout the United States.

Why You May Want to Start a WaBa Grill Franchise

Franchisees who are motivated and organized may be a good fit for a WaBa Grill location. It is not required, but if you have worked in a restaurant before or have experience in the service industry, that is typically seen as a benefit.

If you can dedicate yourself to WaBa Grill full-time, this franchise could be the right fit for you. WaBa Grill looks for franchisees with experience and communication skills combined with a love for people and service. The company emphasizes brand recognition and investments in the merit of its menu. This may serve as an opportunity to bring a different quality of food to the fast-food market.

What Might Make a WaBa Grill Franchise a Good Choice?

To be part of the WaBa Grill team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other ongoing fees. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set requirements of net worth and liquid capital requirements.

As you explore the opportunity to open a WaBa Grill franchise, make sure you research the brand and your local area to see if a WaBa Grill franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

How To Open a WaBa Grill Franchise

To start the journey for your own WaBa Grill franchise, begin by submitting an informational form. Someone from WaBa Grill may contact you and walk you through the rest of the steps towards opening a franchise in your community.

A typical franchise agreement runs for ten years with an opportunity to renew their agreement if you meet the WaBa Grill requirements.

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. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the WaBa Grill franchising team questions. Once you are confident in your decision and have participated in the company-provided training for franchisees, you will be ready to do your part to bring taste, health, and quality to the fast-food market.

Company Overview

About WaBa Grill

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Asian Food
Founded	2004
Parent Company	WaBa Restaurant Group
Leadership	Andrew Kim, CEO
Corporate Address	181 S. Old Springs Rd. Anaheim, CA 92808
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2006 (19 years)
# of employees at HQ	36
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	193 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a WaBa Grill 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.	$341,000 - $577,000
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.	$500,000
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.	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.	3%
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.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

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	74 hours
Classroom Training	15 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media 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
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