Bar-B-Cutie franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Bar-B-Cutie franchise takes $266,986 – $2,080,491 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $35,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2%. To qualify, Bar-B-Cutie asks for $75,000 in liquid cash and a $250,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Bar-B-Cutie franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $266,986 | $2,080,491 | $266,986 to $2,080,491 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $266,986 | $2,080,491 | $266,986 to $2,080,491 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | Not disclosed |
See the full Bar-B-Cutie cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Bar-B-Cutie's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Bar-B-Cutie's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $266,986 — about in line with the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $35,000 — about in line with the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Bar-B-Cutie's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2014: began the window at 12 units; 1 units opened, 4 closed, ending at 9 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Bar-B-Cutie or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Bar-B-Cutie for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Bar-B-Cutie is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Bar-B-Cutie grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Bar-B-Cutie can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Bar-B-Cutie franchise
Bar-B-Cutie is a food & beverage franchisor with 9 units at the end of 2014 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2014, it began the window at 12 units; its filings record 1 unit openings and 4 closures, ending at 9 units. Its parent company is Bar-B-Cutie Franchise Systems LLC.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
Over the years Bar-B-Cutie has become Nashville’s most iconic and longest lasting BBQ franchise, growing to eight locations in the area. The franchise growth has been organic, with businessmen turned regulars opening their own locations. Since opening in 1950, Bar-B-Cutie has grown across four different states, while BBQ has exploded on the national stage as well, becoming more and more popular with folks. This has created an underserved market and pent-up demand for authentic BBQ, without an...
Bar-B-Cutie franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Bar-B-Cutie franchise cost?
- $266,986 – $2,080,491 all-in to open, per Bar-B-Cutie's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Bar-B-Cutie units are there?
- 9 units at the end of 2014 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Bar-B-Cutie's units held up?
- 69.2% of units at risk between 2012 and 2014 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).