Escapology franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening an Escapology franchise takes $249,667 – $1,468,300 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $37,500. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 6% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Escapology franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $37,500 | $37,500 | $37,500 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $249,667 | $1,468,300 | $249,667 to $1,468,300 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $249,667 | $1,468,300 | $249,667 to $1,468,300 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Escapology's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 6% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | Not disclosed |
See the full Escapology cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Escapology's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Escapology's disclosed cost sits against the Lodging & Leisure category:
- Minimum startup cost of $249,667 — about 96% below the Lodging & Leisure median of $6,130,275.
- Initial franchise fee of $37,500 — about 41% below the Lodging & Leisure median of $63,600.
Category medians are computed from the Lodging & Leisure brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Lodging & Leisure franchises
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How Escapology's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2016–2022: began the window at 0 units; 47 units opened, 7 closed, ending at 46 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 Escapology 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 Escapology 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 Escapology 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 Escapology 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 Escapology 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 Escapology franchise
Escapology is a lodging & leisure franchisor with 46 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2016 and 2022, it began the window at 0 units; its filings record 47 unit openings and 7 closures, ending at 46 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Escapology, 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
The franchisee will own and operate a live escape game business offering high qualitylive escape game experiences using the Escapology system.
Escapology franchise: quick answers
- How much does an Escapology franchise cost?
- $249,667 – $1,468,300 all-in to open, per Escapology's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Escapology units are there?
- 46 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Escapology's units held up?
- 87.3% 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).