The Brass Tap franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening The Brass Tap franchise takes $783,425 – $1,321,025 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $40,390. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 4% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2%. To qualify, The Brass Tap asks for $250,000 in liquid cash and a $500,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
The Brass Tap franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $40,390 | $40,390 | $40,390 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $783,425 | $1,321,025 | $783,425 to $1,321,025 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $783,425 | $1,321,025 | $783,425 to $1,321,025 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 4% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | Not disclosed |
See the full The Brass Tap cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How The Brass Tap's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where The Brass Tap's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $783,425 — about 2.8× the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $40,390 — about 1.2× 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 The Brass Tap's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 2 units; 63 units opened, 23 closed, ending at 41 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for The Brass Tap 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 The Brass Tap 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 The Brass Tap 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 The Brass Tap 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 The Brass Tap 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 Brass Tap franchise
The Brass Tap is a food & beverage franchisor with 41 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 2 units; its filings record 63 unit openings and 23 closures, ending at 41 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is FSC Franchise Co..
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
Brass Tap Franchisor, LLC franchises businesses which operate "The Brass Tap" bars, which are upscale beer bars offering craft beers on tap, a large variety of imported, domestic and local craft beers, a large selection of fine wines and other beverage and food offerings. If permitted by applicable law, Brass Tap Bars also offer cigars and bottled beers for carry out from an annexed package store. The Brass Tap bars operate using the franchisor’s proprietary formulae, techniques, trade dress, trademarks, service marks, and business systems.
The Brass Tap franchise: quick answers
- How much does The Brass Tap franchise cost?
- $783,425 – $1,321,025 all-in to open, per The Brass Tap's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many The Brass Tap units are there?
- 41 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have The Brass Tap's units held up?
- 77.4% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).