Start a Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $453K - $1.1M

Units as of 2022: 17 13.3% over 3 years

As their surnames suggest, Matt Piccinin and Sean Cook believe they were destined to be in the food industry. In 2007, Piccinin and Cook decided to satisfy their craving for fresh seafood by opening the Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar.

Today, Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar has more than 10 locations in the United States, meeting a need for fresh oysters and other seafood. Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar prides itself on being a family vacation experience within a restaurant where the bar is the captain and the franchisee is the first mate. Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar may have quite the eclectic menu, serving drinks, snacks, salads, sandwiches, and lots of fun.

Why You May Want To Start a Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar Franchise

The world may be attempting to go green, and many environmentally conscious consumers want ethically sourced, served, and packaged food. They want to know that the establishment they frequent does its part to protect the environment. An ideal Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar franchisee would not only be entrepreneurial, but also ethical.

As serious as that sounds, fun is what Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is all about. Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is looking to include franchisees who see the value in what they have. Franchisees should also want to grow and be a part of something that could be the next big restaurant concept. All interested franchisees are welcome to check them out and decide if that’s the way they want to go.

What Might Make a Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar Franchise a Good Choice?

All Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar needs from you is a brain, a heart, and courage. This should help you manage and communicate effectively, have a true desire to make a positive impact in your community, and a willingness to use unconventional but effective methods to grow your location. Franchisees need not have prior restaurant or hospitality industry experience, but strong business management skills are a bonus.

To be part of the Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar team, make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

How To Open a Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar Franchise

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar franchising team questions.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar offers both owner-operator and semi-absentee ownership models. Whichever one you decide to go with, you’ll get many hours of classroom and on-the-job instruction at their intensive “Shuck U!” training program.

Franchisees also get comprehensive assistance with site selection, build-out, design, and even the grand opening of their new Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar. Franchisees get continued assistance in digital marketing and social media advertising strategies from Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar.

Company Overview

About Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Miscellaneous Full-Service Restaurants, Seafood Restaurants
Founded	2007
Parent Company	Shuckin' Shack Franchising LLC
Leadership	Jonathan Weathington, CEO
Corporate Address	201 N. Front St., #203 Wilmington, NC 28401
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2014 (11 years)
# of employees at HQ	8
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	17 (as of 2022)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$45,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$453,000 - $1,128,252
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$300,000 - $1,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$150,000 - $600,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	10% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	3.5-5.5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1.5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	80 hours
Classroom Training	64 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
# of employees required to run	20
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes