For prospective franchisees considering The Brass Tap Social House & Kitchen, the 50-plus-unit upscale American tavern franchise, understanding the potential economics is key to evaluating the opportunity. The brand’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) offers a look at sales performance and operating results, while existing franchisees' experience shows how strong local relationships can help owners build a loyal customer base.

“The numbers give prospective franchisees an important look at the business, but strong restaurant performance ultimately comes down to execution at the local level,” said Scott SirLouis, chief operating officer. “Our most successful operators understand their communities, build relationships with their guests and create a place people want to come back to again and again.”

What Does the FDD Say About The Brass Tap’s Sales?

According to Item 19 of The Brass Tap’s 2026 FDD, the 40 domestic bars included in its 2025 reporting generated the following adjusted gross sales:

The FDD also provides historical performance information. In 2023, 34 reporting bars generated average adjusted gross sales of $1,436,849, while the median was $1,225,860. In 2024, 38 reporting bars averaged $1,402,356, with median sales of $1,319,839.

These numbers represent sales, not what a franchisee takes home. Restaurant owners must account for food and beverage costs, labor, occupancy expenses, royalties, advertising and other operating expenses when determining profitability.

What Do The Brass Tap’s Costs and EBITDA Look Like?

The 2026 FDD provides additional financial information for two mature company-owned Brass Tap bars that were open on or before June 30, 2025. The franchisor notes that comparable expense information was unavailable for reporting franchised Brass Tap bars, so these figures should not be viewed as averages for the entire franchise system.

The two company-owned restaurants reported the following results for fiscal 2025:

How Much Does It Cost to Open The Brass Tap?

The estimated initial investment to open a franchise with The Brass Tap ranges from $535,350 to $1,738,675. The investment includes a $25,000 franchise fee along with expenses for leasehold improvements, equipment, furnishings, signage, inventory, permits and additional working capital.

Once open, franchisees pay a royalty equal to 5% of adjusted gross sales and contribute 2% of adjusted gross sales to the Marketing and Development Fund. The FDD also lists a $250 monthly IT fee and a $100 monthly website fee.

For a full-service restaurant business, generating sales is only one side of the equation. Managing food costs, staffing, occupancy and other expenses can have a significant impact on how much ultimately flows through to the bottom line.

How Can Community Involvement Help Build Sales?

Financial performance can also depend on a franchisee’s ability to develop a loyal customer base. For Izak and Danielle Du Plooy, owners of The Brass Tap in Manayunk, Pennsylvania, that meant becoming part of the neighborhood rather than simply waiting for customers to find the restaurant.

The first few months required patience. Parking in Manayunk made it hard to attract visitors from outside the neighborhood, and the owners were introducing themselves in a market already filled with restaurants and bars. Over time, however, regular customers began returning and word-of-mouth helped bring in new guests.

"In the beginning, we were just a bar starting up," Izak said. “Over time, though, we built up a really good local crowd because we're very much a walk-up bar. I'm South African, so we started showing a lot of South African sports, and we built up a pretty good crowd around that as well. What started as a pretty quiet little bar is now thriving.”

The Du Plooys also worked to give customers reasons to come back. Their restaurant hosted trivia nights, themed events and sports watch parties while promoting its dining room for birthdays, graduations and other private celebrations. They also sponsor local sports clubs throughout Philadelphia, helping those organizations while building relationships with groups that later gather at the restaurant for sporting events.

"I think developing relationships with clients has been one of the biggest keys to our success," Izak said. “If people ask us to put on a certain game or something, we really try to accommodate everybody. We sponsor various teams in Philadelphia, and those teams have built relationships with Danielle and me. It's nice helping them because these clubs need funding, and then they'll come in and support us during sporting events.”

That type of local involvement can complement the systems and marketing provided by the franchisor. Events, sponsorships and personal relationships can give customers additional reasons to choose the restaurant and return regularly.

How Much Can a Franchisee Make With The Brass Tap?

There is no guaranteed amount a franchisee with The Brass Tap will earn. Item 19 shows that 2025 adjusted gross sales ranged from $622,486 to $3,721,568 among the 40 reporting Brass Tap bars, with an average of $1,382,100 and a median of $1,296,589.

The two mature company-owned restaurants provide another look at the potential economics of the concept, with store-level EBITDA margins of 13.5% and 3.6%. However, those results come from only two locations and are not presented as representative of franchised restaurants.

Ultimately, a franchisee's results will depend on sales volume, operating costs, location, staffing and execution.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/brasstap/info.