Pump It Up franchise unit economics
Pump It Up franchisees run 9,000 to 11,000 square feet of inflatable arenas and party rooms on a rotation format. The 37 units reporting for 2025 averaged $658,892 of sales against $812,241 two years earlier, a fall of 18.87%. The system went from 48 franchised businesses to 39 across the same three years with the opened column at zero throughout, and entry runs $104,200 to $762,190, the lightest build in family entertainment.
- Primary source
- Pump It Up Holdings, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 37 of 39 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.
The average unit billed $658,892 in 2025 against $812,241 two years earlier, and the system went from 48 franchised businesses to 39 with the opened column reading zero in all three years. Entry starts at $104,200, an eighth of the next cheapest build in this category. So the whole question here is what a cheap door buys you inside a system that is getting smaller.
- Nine units left in three years and zero opened. 48 franchised businesses at the start of 2023 against 39 at the end of 2025, three terminations in the last year, six ceasing for other reasons before that. The projected-openings table reads zero for the year ahead.
- The average unit lost $153,349 of annual revenue in two years. $658,892 against $812,241, a fall of 18.87%. The middle location fell 16.60% to $562,318. Across the group that is $24,379,004 against $34,114,122 *, a drop of $9,735,118.
- Rent is the line that decides this business, and it runs from 12% to 30% of revenue. An 18-point range, worth $165,077 a yearon the $917,093 average that filed accounts. On 10,000 square feet that is $16.51 a foot between a good lease and a bad one.
- The $12,000 minimum marketing charge bites below $600,000 of revenue, and the median unit bills $562,318. The greater of 2% or $12,000 crosses at exactly $600,000 *, so the brand and marketing load runs 10.13% at the median unit, 10.78% at the Midwest average and 12.65% at the lowest-selling units. A flat 10.00% for everyone above the line.
- The low-end build is 15.81% of what the average unit bills in a year. $104,200 against $658,892 *, where the next lightest build in family entertainment is $891,500. At the filed 19% margin that build returns in 0.82 years while the $762,190 version takes 6.01 *.
How much does a Pump It Up franchise make?
The average Pump It Up unit reported $658,892 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $562,318. The brand’s disclosure document puts the profit line at 19.3% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 10.1% 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.
Sales and the shrink
$658,892 across 37 units, and falling every year. (Item 20)
Three full years on the same measure, so the direction is readable.
| Year | Units | Average | Median | Highest | Lowest | Reaching the average | Group revenue * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37 | $658,892 | $562,318 | $1,748,951 | $258,095 | 19 of 37, 51% | $24,379,004 |
| 2024 | 40 | $735,075 | $630,533 | $1,902,095 | $240,494 | 17 of 40, 43% | $29,403,000 |
| 2023 | 42 | $812,241 | $674,222 | $1,883,523 | $259,812 | 17 of 42, 40% | $34,114,122 |
| Change across the three years * | −5 | −18.87% | −16.60% | n/a | n/a | n/a | −28.54% |
The filed rows are as the brand reported it; the group revenue column and the change row are marked. Multiplying each year’s average by its unit count.
The median sits at 85.3% of the average. $562,318 against $658,892 *, and 19 of 37 units clear the mean, so the average is pulled up by a handful of large units.
The highest-selling units bills 6.78 times the lowest-selling units. $1,748,951 against $258,095 *, on 10,000 square feet that is $175 a foot against $26.
The West bills 2.20 times the Midwest.
| Region | Units | Average | Median | Highest | Lowest | Reaching the regional average | Share of group revenue * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West | 11 | $950,345 | $869,974 | $1,748,951 | $377,207 | 5 of 11, 45% | 42.88% |
| Northeast | 5 | $671,692 | $616,872 | $1,012,361 | $342,649 | 2 of 5, 40% | 13.78% |
| South | 13 | $547,491 | $616,872 | $1,136,949 | $258,095 | 6 of 13, 46% | 29.19% |
| Midwest | 8 | $431,171 | $406,367 | $706,184 | $258,129 | 3 of 8, 38% | 14.15% |
| All 37 | 37 | $658,892 | $562,318 | $1,748,951 | $258,095 | 19 of 37, 51% | 100% |
Regional figures are as the brand reported it and the share column is marked *.
Eleven Western locations produce 42.88% of the group's sales. $10,453,795 of $24,379,004, from 29.7% of the loca, and the Midwest’s eight units take 14.15% on 21.6%.
Every region fell across the three years. The Northeast lost 29.76%, the Midwest 21.95%, the South 14.80% and the West 13.31% *, so the decline is a system condition.
Top performers
What separates the top Pump It Up performers
Pump It Up splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $950,345 a year. The worst averaged $431,171. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $562,318. The average was $658,892. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 2.2× 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 9,000 to 11,000 square feet. capacity is None vans multiplied by hours multiplied by how full they run. What you can sell is set by the build, and the build does not change after opening.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $104,200 to $762,190, a 7.3× 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 20.0% 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 23.0% of sales, against 19.3% 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 20.0% 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.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 10.1% 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.37 of 39 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.
Costs and profit
19% at the profit line, and rent takes 20%.
Twenty-six units filed complete accounts for 2024, with eight cost lines as percentages of revenue for the highest-selling units, the middle one and the average.
| Line | Highest-selling unit | Middle unit | Average | On $917,093 of revenue * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1,917,540 | $1,094,381 | $917,093 | n/a |
| Rent and building | 16% | 30% | 20% | $183,419 |
| Labor | 26% | 10% | 23% | $210,931 |
| Cost of goods | 9% | 21% | 14% | $128,393 |
| Other | 13% | 10% | 13% | $119,222 |
| Utilities | 3% | 3% | 4% | $36,684 |
| Insurance | 0.3% | 4% | 3% | $27,513 |
| Merchant services | 3% | 3% | 3% | $27,513 |
| Repair and maintenance | 1% | 2% | 2% | $18,342 |
| profit | $552,240 | $144,110 | $176,617 | n/a |
| share of sales kept | 29% | 17% | 19% | 19.26% * |
Percentages, revenue and profit dollars are as the brand reported it; the dollar column and the 19.26% are marked *.
Rent and labor together take 43% of revenue. $394,350 at the average *, against a profit line of $176,617, so those two lines are 2.23 times the earnings they leave behind.
The rent line moves by 18 points across the printed accounts. 12% at the highest Southern location against 30% aiddle one, worth $165,077 a year on average revenue. Which is $16.51 a square foot on a 10,000-foot box, the difference between a signed lease and a renegotiated one.
Four regions, and the South earns least on the most rent.
| Region | Units | Average revenue | Average profit | Margin | Rent | Labor | Cost of goods |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 4 | $1,135,347 | $211,943 | 22% | 18% | 21% | 17% |
| West | 8 | $1,115,972 | $232,422 | 19% | 19% | 25% | 12% |
| Midwest | 3 | $759,555 | $166,623 | 22% | 13% | 26% | 14% |
| South | 11 | $736,054 | $125,912 | 17% | 23% | 22% | 15% |
| All 26 * | 26 | $917,093 | $176,617 | 19.26% | 20% | 23% | 14% |
Regional rows are as the brand reported it and the bottom row is marked *, apart from its three percentage columns. Are as the brand reported it at the systemwide level.
The South has 11 of the 26 locations and keeps the smallest share of sales. 17% on $736,054, which is $125,912 *, against the Midwest’s 22% on lower labor and ten points less rent.
The regions that pay the most rent keep the least. Rent takes 13% of sales in the Midwest, 18% in the Northeast, 19% in the West and 23% in the South. Those regions keep 22%, 22%, 19% and 17% *, one line, in order.
Building the unit
$104,200 to open, which is the point of this brand.
| Line | Low | High | Share of the high column * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building work | $0 | $450,000 | 58.96% |
| Additional funds, three months | $20,000 | $75,000 | 9.83% |
| Arena equipment, rides and safety mats | $30,000 | $49,500 | 6.49% |
| Start-up package | $29,000 | $41,515 | 5.44% |
| Prepaid rent, security and other deposits | $11,000 | $31,275 | 4.10% |
| Initial franchise fee | $30,000 | $30,000 | 3.93% |
| Real property | $0 | $21,200 | 2.78% |
| Legal and professional fees | $1,750 | $15,000 | 1.97% |
| Liability insurance and workers compensation deposit | $4,500 | $15,000 | 1.97% |
| Architect, engineer, permits and licenses | $0 | $10,000 | 1.31% |
| Exterior signage | $2,700 | $8,000 | 1.05% |
| Opening inventory and supplies | $2,500 | $5,000 | 0.66% |
| Computer and phone systems | $750 | $3,500 | 0.46% |
| Site evaluation fee | $0 | $3,500 | 0.46% |
| Travel and living while training | $0 | $2,700 | 0.35% |
| Preliminary design review | $2,000 | $2,000 | 0.26% |
| Total as the brand reported it | $104,200 | $762,190 | n/a |
| Lines added up * | $134,200 | $763,190 | 100% |
Every line amount is as the brand reported it and the share column is marked. Measured against the added-up high column and reaching 100.02% on rounding.
The build is an eighth of the next lightest in this category. $104,200 against $891,500 *, and the whole high-end range still lands below that figure. Every other family entertainment brand we have measured starts between $891,500 and $3,246,160.
Keeping 19% of sales, the cheapest build pays back in ten months. $126,892 a year, which is 19.26% of the average lo unit’s $658,892. 0.82 years against $104,200 and 6.01 years against $762,190, before interest, tax and inflatable replacement.
Building work is 59% of the high opening estimate and nothing in the low one. $450,000 against $0 *, so what a landlord contributes to the fit-out moves the entry price more than everything else on this table combined.
Fees and the system
10% of revenue, until the minimum bites.
A 6% royalty and a 2% brand fund contribution, both by direct debit, plus local marketing of the greater of 2% of revenue or $12,000. That minimum is the part worth understanding: it turns a percentage into a fixed cost for any unit under $600,000.
| Unit | Sales | Royalty at 6% | Brand fund at 2% | Local marketing | Together | Share of revenue * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest-selling unit | $1,748,951 | $104,937 | $34,979 | $34,979 | $174,895 | 10.00% |
| West average | $950,345 | $57,021 | $19,007 | $19,007 | $95,035 | 10.00% |
| All 37, the average | $658,892 | $39,534 | $13,178 | $13,178 | $65,890 | 10.00% |
| All 37, the median | $562,318 | $33,739 | $11,246 | $12,000 | $56,985 | 10.13% |
| South average | $547,491 | $32,849 | $10,950 | $12,000 | $55,799 | 10.19% |
| Midwest average | $431,171 | $25,870 | $8,623 | $12,000 | $46,493 | 10.78% |
| Lowest-selling unit | $258,095 | $15,486 | $5,162 | $12,000 | $32,648 | 12.65% |
The 6%, the 2% and the local marketing requirement are as the brand reported it, as are the revenue figures. Every dollar amount and the share column are marked *. Each row’s three components add to its total.
The lowest-selling units pays 26.5% more of its revenue than the highest-selling one. 12.65% against 10.00% *. The $12,000 minimum costs that unit $6,838 a year above a flat 10%, which is real money against $258,095 of billings.
At the average unit the load is 51.9% of profit. $65,890 against $126,892 *, though the local marketing half of it is spend the owner directs. The brand’s own 8% is $52,711, or 41.5%.
48 to 39, with the opened column at zero.
| Year | At start | Opened | Terminated | Failed to renew | Reacquired | Ceased for other reasons | At end | Change * | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 46 | −4.17% | 3 |
| 2024 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 42 | −8.70% | 4 |
| 2025 | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | −7.14% | 0 |
Every column apart from change is as the brand reported it, and start less departures returns the filed year-end count in all three years.
Seven units changed hands across the three years and zero in the last one. 3, 4 and 0 transfers against a system of 39 *, secondary demand and primary demand have both gone quiet.
Departures shifted from voluntary to terminated. Six units ceased for other reasons in 2023 and 2024, then three were terminated in 2025 *, a different kind of exit, and one an owner reads as a change in how the agreement is being enforced.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
What does a Pump It Up unit bill?
The 37 units reporting for 2025 averaged $658,892 with a median of $562,318, ranging from $258,095 to $1,748,951, and 19 of them cleared the average. Two years earlier the same measure ran $812,241 and $674,222 across 42 units.
What does an unit earn?
Across the 26 locations that reported full accounts for 2024, profit averaged $176,617 on sales of $917,093, which is 19%. The highest-selling locations earned $552,240 on $1,917,540, which is 29%. 31% of the group was above the average.
Where does the money go?
At the average location, rent and occupancy cost take 20% of sales, wages 23%, products 14% and other costs 13%. That last line covers utilities, insurance, merchant services and repairs adding 12% between them. Rent is the widest line, running 12% to 30% across the reported accounts.
What does the brand take?
A 6% royalty and a 2% brand fund contribution, both monthly by direct debit, plus local marketing of the greater of 2% of revenue or $12,000 a year. Above $600,000 of revenue that totals a flat 10%; below it the minimum pushes the share up, reaching 12.65% at the lowest-selling reporting unit.
What does it cost to open?
$104,200 to $762,190 as the brand reported it, on 9,000 to 11,000 square feet with ceilings of at least 18 feet. The franchise fee is $30,000, arena equipment $30,000 to $49,500. Building work range from zero. That is where a landlord funds the whole fit-out, to $450,000 where the owner funds it.
What is happening to the system?
Owner-run businesses went from 48 at the start of 2023 to 39 at the end of 2025. No location opened in any of those three years. Projected openings for the year ahead are zero, and company-owned units stand at zero. Three units were terminated in 2025 and six ceased for other reasons in the two years before.
Questions worth putting to Pump It Up
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 Pump It Up 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 →What is your rent line doing to your margin?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around rent against the 20% benchmark, labor against 23%. profit against the 19% the reporting group earned.
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
Pump It Up reads against the rest of the play and party venues group: Monster Mini Golf.
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.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?What a financial performance representation does and does not tell you.
- What should I be looking at every week?The handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.