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Brand Dossier

Black Bear Diner

FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.

Rank #297 on Entrepreneur 2026FoodFDD issued March 31, 2026
Ranking ContextRanking from Entrepreneur Media's 2026 Franchise 500. Zorzee is independent and not affiliated with Entrepreneur Media.
Source File2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Measurement period: Item 19 covered periods: fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and fiscal year ended December 25, 2024.
About the Brand

About Black Bear Diner

BBDI LLC franchises Black Bear Diner restaurants, casual, family-style diners known for huge portions at an affordable price and a high perceived value. A Black Bear Diner restaurant typically occupies a free-standing, one-story building with surrounding parking or an end cap within a strip center, often converted from an existing building, and features a rustic, black bear-themed trade dress along with the Bear Necessities Quality Control Program. Each restaurant also includes an onsite Black Bear Diner Gift Shop of about 35 to 100 square feet selling black bear-themed and trademarked merchandise.

Source: Entrepreneur 2026 ranking/profile data and Franchise Disclosure Document, rewritten by Zorzee

Investment Summary

The Numbers At a Glance

Total Investment Range
$1,495,700 to $2,238,600
FDD Item 7
Franchise Fee
$55,000
Development fee: Area Development Agreement: Development Fee equals 50% of the initial Franchise Fee for each restaurant to be developed after the first one. Per-unit fee/development-fee schedule: 2 units $45,000/$22,500; 3 units $40,000/$20,000; 4-7 units $32,000/$16,000; 8+ units $24,000/$12,000. Example given: developing 5 restaurants = $55,000 first-unit Franchise Fee + $74,500 total Development Fee ($22,500 + $20,000 + $16,000 + $16,000) for the remaining 4. Development Fee is fully earned when paid and non-refundable.
FDD Item 5
Royalty + Fees
6.5%
~6.5% of Gross Sales ongoing (4.5% royalty + 1% Marketing Fund + 1% Local Advertising), plus recurring...
FDD Item 6
Earnings Claim
Pro exclusive
The disclosed sales or revenue metric, sample, range, and read are included in Pro.
FDD Item 19

Every value here comes straight from the FDD; anything not yet source-verified stays blank rather than estimated. The Pro figures and full interpretation unlock with a Pro membership.

The FDD Data Table

Everything the 2026 Filing Discloses

Every data point Zorzee tracks for this brand, in FDD Item order. Missing source data stays blank; Pro-only interpretation remains locked.

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ItemData PointValueSource
Item 3Litigation Actions (total) 0 actions disclosed FDD Item 3
Item 5Initial Franchise Fee The Initial Franchise Fee is $55,000 (Item 5, p.13). FDD Item 5
Item 5Development Fee Area Development Agreement: Development Fee equals 50% of the initial Franchise Fee for each restaurant to be developed after the first one. Per-unit fee/development-fee schedule: 2 units $45,000/$22,500; 3 units $40,000/$20,000; 4-7 units $32,000/$16,000; 8+ units $24,000/$12,000. Example given: developing 5 restaurants = $55,000 first-unit Franchise Fee + $74,500 total Development Fee ($22,500 + $20,000 + $16,000 + $16,000) for the remaining 4. Development Fee is fully earned when paid and non-refundable. FDD Item 5
Item 6Royalty Fee Royalty is 4.5% of Gross Sales; 18% is a late-payment interest rate, not the royalty. FDD Item 6
Item 6National Media Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Corporate Ad & Development Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Total Ongoing Fee Burden Pro Calculated (Item 6)
Item 7Total Investment (low) $1,495,700 FDD Item 7
Item 7Total Investment (high) $2,238,600 FDD Item 7
Item 8Required Purchases (food/supplies) Pro FDD Item 8
Item 11Franchisor Assistance Pro FDD Item 11
Item 12Exclusive Territory Pro FDD Item 12
Item 12Territory Size Pro FDD Item 12
Item 15Operating Participation Pro FDD Item 15
Item 17Initial Term Length Pro FDD Item 17(a)
Item 17Renewal Terms Pro FDD Item 17(b)-(c)
Item 17Required Remodel at Renewal Pro FDD Item 17(c)
Item 17Termination Triggers Pro FDD Item 17(f)-(h)
Item 17Transfer Fee Pro FDD Item 17(m), Item 6
Item 17ROFR Provisions Pro FDD Item 17(n)
Item 17Post-Termination Non-Compete Pro FDD Item 17(r)
Item 19Revenue Metric Disclosed Pro FDD Item 19
Item 20Total Franchised Units (2025) 97 FDD Item 20
Item 20Company-Owned Units (2025) 72 FDD Item 20
Item 20Total System Net Unit Growth (YoY) +7 FDD Item 20
Item 20Terminations Pro FDD Item 20
Item 20Agreements Signed, Not Yet Open Pro FDD Item 20
Item 21Audited Financials Pro FDD Item 21
Pro Data Points Locked
The free table maps every data point to its FDD source. Pro fills in the values and interpretation that require the full read.
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The Signal Tracker

Five Signals From the 2026 Filing

Each signal turns one part of the filing into a read a buyer can act on. Strength means the disclosed data is favorable. In Line means it is typical for the category. Deal-Specific means the term is populated but you still have to model it against your own deal. Concern means the disclosed data is a real risk. The read is free. The reasoning behind it is the Pro read.

Fee Structure
In Line
FDD Item 6
The Pro Read

Item 6 discloses a below-typical restaurant royalty plus marketing and local-advertising percentages and a stack of pass-through technology and processing fees paid through the franchisor.

Unit Economics
Strength
FDD Item 19
The Pro Read

Item 19 discloses average, median, high and low gross sales for the exact franchise type offered, drawn from franchised restaurants that operated the full fiscal year, and the disclosure is clean and current.

Litigation History
In Line
FDD Item 3
The Pro Read

Source-reviewed FDD Item 3 discloses 0 actions. The legal-context read remains locked in Pro.

Operator Validation
Strength
FDD Item 20
The Pro Read

Item 20 shows a steadily growing system with net additions every year and no franchised terminations or non-renewals in the two most recent years.

Term & Exit Terms
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 17
The Pro Read

Item 17 gives a ten-year term with one ten-year renewal, a fixed transfer fee, a right of first refusal, a franchisor asset-purchase option on exit, and a two-year post-term non-compete.

Five Reads In. The Reasoning Is Locked.
You can see where each signal lands. Pro gives you the why: the math, the source detail, and what to validate before you act.
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Item 19: Earnings Disclosure

What the Earnings Claim Says, and What It Does Not

Item 19 earnings data is disclosed for Black Bear Diner. The unit sales or revenue metric itself remains locked in Pro; the caution below stays free.

What the Claim Discloses
Disclosed Sales or Revenue Metric
Pro
Median Unit Metric
Pro
Sample Size & Coverage
Pro
High / Low Range
Pro
Percent Meeting or Beating the Average
Pro
What the Disclosure Excludes
Pro
What the Number Doesn't Tell You
Free, because misreading Item 19 is one of the costliest mistakes a first-time buyer can make.
  • Item 19 reports the disclosed sales or revenue metric. That is not profit, and not a forecast of what you would personally take home.
  • An average and a median are not the same number. Know which you are shown and how far apart they sit.
  • What reaches you is whatever survives operating costs and debt service. Item 19 never shows that figure.
Earnings Read Locked
Pro turns the disclosed fields into a read: whether the average is trustworthy, what the disclosure leaves out, and the year-one revenue number Zorzee would underwrite.
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Unit Count and Trajectory

A System Still Expanding

Total Units
169
Latest sourced FDD year
Franchised
97
FDD Item 20
Company-Owned
72
FDD Item 20
Total System Net Change (YoY)
+7
Latest total-system change
Total System Units, Latest Available FDD Years
156
2023
162
2024
169
2025

Black Bear Diner trajectory is shown only where source-backed. Missing Item 20 fields stay blank inside the locked layout instead of removing the section.

Source: FDD Item 20 where present. Total system units, franchised plus company-owned. Not financial advice.

Beyond the Net Number
A net unit count is not the same as healthy stores. Pro breaks out openings, closures, terminations, and what the trajectory signals.
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Litigation History

What FDD Item 3 Discloses

0 actions disclosed in source-reviewed FDD Item 3.

Source Status
Item 3 litigation detail not yet sourced
Not yet sourced. No zero-action conclusion has been loaded for this brand.
The Read · Pro
What a Litigation Count Doesn't Tell You
Free, because a raw lawsuit count is one of the most misread lines in any FDD.
  • A count means nothing without scale and time. Always compare it to system size and years covered.
  • The pattern matters more than the total. Repeated allegations matter more than isolated disputes.
  • Concluded and open matters are not the same weight. Open matters require different diligence than old resolved matters.
Litigation Read Locked
Pro gives the case-by-case read: allegations, status, scale context, and whether any pattern matters before signing.
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Editorial Analysis

The Zorzee Read

The Zorzee Take
The editor's synthesis: what the filing actually means once the numbers, diligence, and operator reality are weighed against each other. The Take names what matters, what does not, and what must be validated before any decision.
The Read · Pro
The Inversion
Charlie Munger's rule: to understand a thing, study how it fails. Zorzee stress-tests every brand against forecasting, site selection, management depth, and exit math. The framework is free. Which modes bite hardest for this brand, and the fix for each, is the read.
The Failure-Mode Read · Pro
The Editorial Read Is Locked
Pro unlocks the full Zorzee read on Black Bear Diner: the editorial synthesis, the math behind the numbers, and the failure modes the filing reveals. Zorzee briefs the decision; you make it.
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Zorzee editorial. Independent analysis. No franchisor review or approval. Not financial advice.

The Decision

You've Seen the Filing. The Read Is Still the Missing Piece.

The filing tells you what Black Bear Diner costs to open. Pro adds the read on whether the numbers work for you, in your market, and whether this brand is a business or a job you bought.

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This Dossier
  • The full read behind all five Signal Tracker verdicts
  • Pro FDD data points from fee burden through Item 17 and audited financials
  • The Item 19 earnings read where disclosed
  • The litigation and system-health read
  • The Zorzee Take and failure-mode analysis
Your Pro Membership
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  • The full Signal Tracker across the portal
  • The Zorzee Files: FDD guides, DCF templates, and pro forma models
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