Monster Mini Golf franchise unit economics
Monster Mini Golf franchisees run indoor glow-in-the-dark mini golf venues of 8,200 to 21,000 square feet with arcades, party rooms and, at some sites, bowling, laser tag or a laser maze. Its 27 reporting outlets turned $26,600,001 of revenue into $5,115,200 of profit, a 19.23% margin. Wages takes 25.24% of revenue and rent 21.28%, so the lease is settled before the doors open.
- Primary source
- Monster Entertainment, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 27 of 34 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
Across 27 reporting outlets, $26,600,001 of revenue produced $5,115,200 of profit, a 19.23% margin. Wages takes 25.24% and rent 21.28%, so those two lines together are 2.4 times what the business keeps.
- Wages and rent together take 46.52% of revenue. 25.24% and 21.28% across the 27 outlets *, 2.4 times the 19.23% that reaches the profit line.
- Wages runs from 15.43% to 45.12% of revenue. A 29.7-point range across the 27 outlets *, worth $292,501 a year at the average outlet, the widest line in the system.
- Food and beverage is 1.35% of revenue. $366,892 across 28 outlets against $15,536,676 of admissions and $6,120,389 of arcade *. This venue sells time and play.
- Four of the 27 outlets earned under 10% at the profit line. Margins of 6%, 7%, 2% and 1% against a best of 35% *, and the lowest-selling kept $3,723 on $556,495 of revenue.
- The build is 0.90 to 1.59 times a year’s revenue. $891,500 to $1,563,500 against an average of $985,185 *, the lightest entry in family entertainment, paying back in 4.71 to 8.25 years.
How much does a Monster Mini Golf franchise make?
The average Monster Mini Golf unit reported $985,185 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $926,623. The brand’s disclosure document puts the profit line at 19.2% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 11.2% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Revenue mix and seasons
Admissions and arcade are four fifths of the till.
| Category | Revenue | Share * | At the average outlet * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admissions | $15,536,676 | 57.31% | $564,593 |
| Arcade | $6,120,389 | 22.58% | $222,411 |
| Parties | $3,847,270 | 14.19% | $139,807 |
| Events | $1,067,836 | 3.94% | $38,805 |
| Food and beverage | $366,892 | 1.35% | $13,333 |
| Retail | $174,878 | 0.65% | $6,355 |
| Total | $27,110,665 | 100% | $985,185 |
The category totals are as the brand reported it and the share and per-outlet columns are marked *.
Admissions and arcade together are 79.89% of revenue. $21,657,065 of the $27,110,665 *. The business is time on the course and tokens in the machines.
Parties and events are 18.13% and food is 1.35%. $4,915,106 against $366,892 *, so a party here is a booking, which is what keeps cost of goods at 10.53%.
Three months have a third of the year.
| Month | Share of the year | Against an even month * | At the average outlet * |
|---|---|---|---|
| July | 12% | 1.44× | $118,222 |
| August | 11% | 1.32× | $108,370 |
| June | 10% | 1.20× | $98,518 |
| March | 9% | 1.08× | $88,667 |
| October | 8% | 0.96× | $78,815 |
| November | 8% | 0.96× | $78,815 |
| January, February, April, May, September and December | 7% each | 0.84× | $68,963 each |
The monthly shares are as the brand reported it and the index and dollar columns are marked. Comparing each month to an even 8.33% and applying the share to the average outlet’s revenue.
June, July and August take 33% of the year. $325,111 at the average outlet *, against 21% across the three lowest-selling months.
The peak month is only 1.71 times the trough. 12% against 7% *, an indoor venue with its own weather, which is what a glow-in-the-dark course is for.
Top performers
What separates the top Monster Mini Golf performers
Monster Mini Golf splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $2,082,263 a year. The worst averaged $556,495. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $926,623. The average was $985,185. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 3.7× gap between bands is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Capacity, fixed at build.Locations run 8,200 to 21,000 square feet. What you can sell is set by the build, and the build does not change after opening.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $891,500 to $1,563,500, a 1.8× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
- Lease economics.Occupancy cost ran 21.3% of sales in this filing. The rent does not fall when sales do, so the same lease is a far heavier line at the bottom of the system than at the top. That is how a weak site compounds into a weak profit line.
Live operating levers
- Wages, the dominant line.Wages take 25.2% of sales, against 19.2% kept at the end. Staff productivity, scheduling against demand hour by hour, and the balance of base pay to commission are where this is won. Small movements here move the result more than anything else, because nothing else in the structure is that large.
- Occupancy, the line that does not flex.Rent and building costs take 21.3% of sales here. Sales per square foot and the hours the space is earning are the only two ways to move it, because the rent itself is fixed at signing.
- Admissions, the operating driver.This model bills on admissions. The doors are open whether anyone comes or not, so the owner works on how many come through in an open hour and what each spends beyond the ticket. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Service and retail mix.Attachment rate on retail, and the share of customers on the higher service tiers, lift what each hour earns without adding an hour or a room. It is the only lever that raises the ceiling without spending capital.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 11.2% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.27 of 34 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, as are locations under the brand’s current size standard, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
- What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no attainment figure. The brand’s own locations are the only margin signal in the document, and they are run by the people who wrote the playbook.
Profit and loss by location
Twenty-seven outlets, every line published. (Item 20)
Very few filings do this. Every named outlet appears with its own income statement, so the system can be added up.
| Line | All 27 outlets | Share of revenue | Average outlet | Lowest share at any outlet | Highest share at any outlet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total income | $26,600,001 | 100% | $985,185 | n/a | n/a |
| Wages | $6,714,866 | 25.24% | $248,699 | 15.43% | 45.12% |
| Rent | $5,659,179 | 21.28% | $209,599 | 11.23% | 31.05% |
| Cost of goods sold | $2,802,296 | 10.53% | $103,789 | n/a | n/a |
| Royalties | $2,238,072 | 8.41% | $82,892 | 5.99% | 9.86% |
| Other expenses | $1,192,318 | 4.48% | $44,160 | n/a | n/a |
| Utilities | $905,453 | 3.40% | $33,535 | n/a | n/a |
| Advertising and promotion | $549,565 | 2.07% | $20,354 | n/a | n/a |
| Repairs and maintenance | $538,683 | 2.03% | $19,951 | n/a | n/a |
| Insurance | $490,989 | 1.85% | $18,185 | n/a | n/a |
| Professional fees | $198,865 | 0.75% | $7,365 | n/a | n/a |
| Computer and internet | $103,180 | 0.39% | $3,821 | n/a | n/a |
| Software and apps | $91,337 | 0.34% | $3,383 | n/a | n/a |
| profit | $5,115,200 | 19.23% | $189,452 | 1% | 35% |
Every per-outlet figure is as the brand reported it; the totals, the shares and the average column are marked *, adding the 27 published statements.
The average outlet keeps $189,452 and the median $171,020. On revenue of $985,185 and $926,623 *, so a typical outlet earns about a fifth of what it bills.
Revenue runs 3.74 times from top to bottom and profit runs 178 times. $2,082,263 against $556,495, and $663,853 against $3,723 *, the operating range dwarfs the revenue range.
Rent alone moves by 19.8 points of revenue. 11.23% to 31.05% *, or $110,636 to $305,900 at the average outlet’s revenue, and it is the one line fixed at the lease.
The royalty line runs 8.41% of revenue in aggregate. Against a stated royalty rate of 7%, falling to 6.5% for an owner of three or more outlets *, and individual outlets take 5.99% to 9.86%, so this line appears to hold more than the royalty alone.
What the fees come to
11% of revenue, and a rate that falls at three outlets.
The royalty is 7% of gross sales, dropping to 6.5% for an owner of three or more. The marketing fund takes 2% and local advertising requires at least 2% more. Technology is $1,500 a year.
| Revenue | Royalty at 7% | Marketing fund at 2% | Local advertising at 2% | Technology | All in | Share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,082,263, the highest outlet | $145,758 | $41,645 | $41,645 | $1,500 | $230,548 | 11.07% |
| $985,185, the average outlet | $68,963 | $19,704 | $19,704 | $1,500 | $109,871 | 11.15% |
| $926,623, the median outlet | $64,864 | $18,532 | $18,532 | $1,500 | $103,428 | 11.16% |
| $556,495, the lowest outlet | $38,955 | $11,130 | $11,130 | $1,500 | $62,715 | 11.27% |
The 7% royalty, the 6.5% rate for owners of three or more outlets, the 2% marketing fund, the at-least-2% local advertising requirement and the $1,500 annual technology fee are as the brand reported it. The revenue figures come from the filed per-outlet statements and every dollar amount is marked *.
The load changes little. 11.07% at the largest outlet against 11.27% at the smallest *, three flat percentages and one small fixed fee.
At the average outlet the brand and its marketing take 58.0% of profit. $109,871 against $189,452 *, though the local advertising half of it is spend.
A third outlet lowers the royalty on all three. Half a point on every outlet an owner holds *, $14,778 a year across three average outlets.
Building the venue
$891,500 to open, which is under a year of revenue.
| Measure | Low build, $891,500 | High build, $1,563,500 |
|---|---|---|
| Against the average outlet’s $985,185 of revenue | 0.90× | 1.59× |
| Against the median outlet’s $926,623 | 0.96× | 1.69× |
| Years to return at the average $189,452 of profit | 4.71 | 8.25 |
| Years to return at the median $171,020 | 5.21 | 9.14 |
| Years to return at the best outlet’s $663,853 | 1.34 | 2.36 |
The $891,500 to $1,563,500 investment range and the revenue and profit figures are as the brand reported it; every comparison here is marked *.
This is the lightest entry in family entertainment. $891,500 against builds of $1,492,800 at Slick City, $2,105,000 at Altitude Trampoline, $2,852,887 at Urban Air and $3,246,160 at Sky Zone *.
Ten outlets cost $350,000 in fees against $600,000 for ten taken one at a time. $35,000 each against $60,000 *, a 41.7% discount for committing to the tenth.
Nine opened in a year.
| Year | Franchised at start | Franchised at end | Net change | Company and affiliate | Total | Franchised share * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 20 | 24 | +4 | 2 | 26 | 92.3% |
| 2024 | 24 | 25 | +1 | 3 | 28 | 89.3% |
| 2025 | 25 | 34 | +9 | 3 | 37 | 91.9% |
Outlet counts are as the brand reported it and the franchised share is marked *.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
What does a Monster Mini Golf outlet bill?
Across the 27 outlets with published statements, total sales was $26,600,001, an average of $985,185 and a median of $926,623, ranging from $556,495 to $2,082,263.
What does an outlet keep?
$5,115,200 of profit across the 27, which is 19.23% of revenue, or $189,452 at the average outlet and $171,020 at the median. Individual shares kept run from 1% to 35%, and four outlets came in under 10%.
Where does the money go?
Wages 25.24% of revenue, rent 21.28%, cost of goods 10.53%, royalties 8.41%, other expenses 4.48%, utilities 3.40%, advertising 2.07%, repairs 2.03%, insurance 1.85%, professional fees 0.75%, computer 0.39% and software 0.34%. Wages runs from 15.43% to 45.12% across outlets and rent 11.23% to 31.05%.
What does the revenue come from?
Admissions 57.31%, arcade 22.58%, parties 14.19%, events 3.94%, food and beverage 1.35% and retail 0.65%. Admissions and arcade together are four fifths of the till, and food is close to a rounding error.
What does the brand take?
A 7% royalty, falling to 6.5% for an owner of three or more outlets, a 2% marketing fund contribution that may rise to 4%, at least 2% of gross sales on local advertising, and $1,500 a year for technology. At the average outlet that totals $109,871, or 11.15% of revenue.
What does it cost to open?
$891,500 to $1,563,500, which is 0.90 to 1.59 times what an average outlet bills in a year and the lightest entry in this category. At the average profit the build returns in 4.71 to 8.25 years. The franchise fee is $60,000 for one outlet and steps down to $35,000 each at ten or more.
- No attainment figure. The filing does not say how many locations reached the average it publishes.
Questions worth putting to Monster Mini Golf
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Monster Mini Golf locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Where does your outlet sit in the 27?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around wages against the 25.24% benchmark, rent against 21.28%. profit against 19.23%.
Request the reviewthe franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Monster Mini Golf reads against the rest of the play and party venues group: Pump It Up.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
- What does this location earn on the money I put into it?Payback period and cash-on-cash return for one unit.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?What a financial performance representation does and does not tell you.