Slick City franchise unit economics
Slick City franchisees run indoor action parks in converted retail space that sell admission tickets, birthday parties, food and beverage and merchandise.
Slick City in the news
- Slick City Gets Minority Investment from Endeavour · RePlay Magazine ·
The Slick City headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked this Slick City link on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Slick City. Slick City is in the Indoor Recreation franchise guide.
Slick City franchise at a glance
Slick City’s Item 19 prints a summary income statement for 13 parks trading a full year to 28 February 2026, with first-year monthly sales, guest counts and spend per head.
Slick City’s 13 parks open from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026 averaged $4,000,499 of sales, with a median of $3,941,997, according to Item 19 of Slick City’s 2026 FDD, issued 27 May 2026. Of those 13 Slick City parks, 4 are corporate-owned, 7 are affiliate-owned and 2 are franchised, and the 13 are 52%* of Slick City’s 25 parks at the end of 2025. Fees paid to Slick City come to about 8.57%* of sales.
- A Slick City franchise costs $1,492,800 to $4,708,400 to open, including a $75,000 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Slick City charges a royalty of 7% of sales, a 1% brand fund contribution and a $595 monthly technology fee.
- Slick City reported 5 franchised locations in its 2026 FDD.
- 38.5% of Slick City’s 13 reporting parks reached the 13-park average.
- Slick City’s 13 measurement parks averaged profit before excluded expenses of 33.9% of gross sales. Slick City’s FDD prints that ratio as its EBITDA margin, leaves out interest, consulting fees, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and its personnel costs include a manager’s pay and leave out owner compensation.
- At the average Slick City location, wages took 18.68%, rent and space costs took 14.9% and cost of goods took 8.79% of sales.
- Work out Slick City's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Slick City's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- The average park keeps 33.9% of what it bills, and the range runs 45.9% to 6.1%. That is $1,354,739 on $4,000,499. The highest-selling Slick City park kept $3,248,931 and the lowest-selling kept $133,459*, 24.3 times as much, while their revenue differed 3.2-fold.
- The opening month runs 53.2% above the mature monthly rate. $510,883 in a first full month against $333,375 a month at the thirteen settled parks *, and the first six months average $421,806, so the Slick City build-up runs downward.
- Spend per head is $35.70 and a park sees 111,523 guests a year. That is 306 a day *, or 2.85 guests for every square foot of building, with spend per head running $32.17 to $38.32 across the thirteen.
- Birthday parties are about a fifth of gross sales. 22,556 parties across thirteen parks at $464.31 each is 1,735 a park, or 33 a week and roughly 20.1% of gross sales *.
- 64.27% of the entry cost goes to the brand’s own affiliate. That is $959,400 of the $1,492,800 low column for attractions, furniture, park equipment, merchandise and uniforms *, before the $75,000 franchise fee.
How much does a Slick City franchise make?
Slick City’s 13 parks open from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026 averaged $4,000,499 of sales and their median was $3,941,997. The brand’s disclosure document puts profit before excluded expenses at 33.9% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 8.6% 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.
Top performers
What separates the top Slick City performers
Slick City publishes a range for its parks instead of grouped averages. The highest-selling of the 13 Slick City parks had $7,073,339 of gross sales in the year to 28 February 2026. The lowest-selling Slick City park had $2,203,109. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $3,941,997. The average was $4,000,499. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Sales and profit drivers at Slick City
- Guest count.Slick City’s 13 Measurement Parks averaged 111,523 guests between March 2025 and February 2026, and ranged from 61,232 to 177,712, a difference of 116,480. Spend per guest at the same 13 Slick City parks ranged from $32.17 to $38.32, a difference of $6.15, around an average of $35.70.
- Month of the year.March brought 12.33% of the combined sales of Slick City’s 13 Measurement Parks, and September brought 5.88%. At the Slick City average of $4,000,499 a year, that is about $493,261 in March and $235,229 in September.
- Opening months.The 18 Slick City parks open at least six months by 28 February 2026 averaged $2,530,837 in sales in their first six months. The 13 Slick City Measurement Parks averaged $4,000,499 over a full twelve months.
- Facility cost.Facility costs at Slick City’s 13 Measurement Parks ranged from $242,126 to $1,056,571 a year, a difference of $814,445. Slick City’s facility costs cover the lease, triple-net charges, maintenance, utilities and security. The Slick City average was $596,155, which is 14.9% of average sales.
- Who runs the parks.Eleven of Slick City’s 13 Measurement Parks are corporate-owned or affiliate-owned, and two are franchised. Slick City’s FDD says the affiliate parks are run by people experienced in family entertainment.
Decided before you open
- Capacity.Slick City parks typically run 20,000 to 40,000 square feet. Slick City’s 13 Measurement Parks ran from about 25,671 to 56,182 square feet, with an average of 39,138.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $1,492,800 to $4,708,400, a 3.2× range inside one brand.
- Lease cost.Occupancy cost ran 14.9% of sales in this filing. Rent stays the same when sales fall, so it takes a larger share of sales at lower-selling locations.
Live operating levers
- Wages.Wages take 18.7% of sales, against profit before excluded expenses of 33.9%. The levers at Slick City are staff productivity and scheduling staff against demand hour by hour.
- Occupancy cost.Rent and building costs take 14.9% of sales here. The rent is fixed when the lease is signed, so this share falls only as sales per square foot rise.
- Fees.Fees run about 8.6% of sales. Slick City sets no minimum royalty, so its 7% royalty and 1% brand fund contribution rise and fall with sales. Slick City’s technology fee is a set $595.24 a month.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 13 of Slick City’s 25 parks at the end of 2025, and 11 of the 13 are corporate-owned or affiliate-owned. Slick City had 5 franchised parks at the end of 2025. Slick City counts a park only if it had sales in all 12 months from March 2025 to February 2026.
Profit and loss by park
Summary income statement, year to February 2026
A complete summary income statement, line by line, for the thirteen parks that traded the whole twelve months to 28 February 2026.
| Line | Average park | Share of sales * | Median park | Highest reported | Lowest reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross sales | $4,000,499 | 100% | $3,941,997 | $7,073,339 | $2,203,109 |
| Cost of sales | $351,813 | 8.79% | $355,224 | $544,561 | $192,512 |
| Gross profit | $3,648,686 | 91.21% | $3,575,386 | $6,654,868 | $1,991,156 |
| Personnel costs | $747,340 | 18.68% | $730,326 | $1,121,795 | $434,095 |
| Marketing costs | $132,476 | 3.31% | $122,503 | $175,758 | $107,208 |
| Facility costs | $596,155 | 14.90% | $581,781 | $1,056,571 | $242,126 |
| Operating expenses | $487,202 | 12.18% | $454,052 | $780,346 | $313,653 |
| Brand fund contributions | $39,790 | 0.99% | $39,730 | $66,724 | $21,962 |
| Royalty | $290,984 | 7.27% | $287,456 | n/a | n/a |
| Profit before excluded expenses | $1,354,739 | 33.86% | $1,330,875 | $3,248,931 | $133,459 |
| Margin | 33.9% | n/a | 35.2% | 45.9% | 6.1% |
Every dollar figure and the two filed margins are as the brand reported it; the share column is marked *.
Personnel and facility together are 33.58% of sales. $1,343,495 *, within $11,244 of what the park keeps, so the two big fixed lines and the profit are about the same size.
Cost of sales is 8.79% of sales. That is $351,813 against $4,000,499 *. The product being sold is time in a building.
Profits range 24.3 times where revenue ranges 3.2 times. $133,459 to $3,248,931 against $2,203,109 to $7,073,339 *, and margins run 6.1% to 45.9%, the same attractions, the same fee schedule, two different outcomes.
Two parks in thirteen earned under $700,000. Six earned between the $1,354,739 average and the $3,248,931 top *.
Opening and seasons
Opening sales against the settled run rate
Gross sales for every park’s first full month, first three months and first six months is set against the settled Slick City parks’ monthly rate below.
| Period | Parks | Average size | Average gross sales | Median gross sales | Highest | Lowest | Monthly rate * | Against the settled rate * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First full month | 26 | 37,652 sq ft | $510,883 | $423,154 | $955,143 | $109,307 | $510,883 | 153.2% |
| First three months | 25 | 38,323 sq ft | $1,438,051 | $1,393,340 | $2,833,059 | $388,948 | $479,350 | 143.8% |
| First six months | 18 | 38,616 sq ft | $2,530,837 | $2,442,256 | $4,519,661 | $806,346 | $421,806 | 126.5% |
| A settled year | 13 | 39,138 sq ft | $4,000,499 | $3,941,997 | $7,073,339 | $2,203,109 | $333,375 | 100% |
Sales, park counts and sizes are as the brand reported it. The monthly rate and the comparison are marked *, dividing each period’s sales by its months and indexing to the settled parks’ monthly rate.
A first full month bills 1.53 times a settled month. $510,883 against $333,375 *, and the opening spike is worth $177,508 on its own.
By month six the rate is still 26.5% above settled. $421,806 a month *, so a first-year forecast built on opening months overstates the steady state by about a quarter.
Sales by month
| Month | Share of the year | Against an even month * | On $4,000,499 of sales * |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 12.33% | 1.48× | $493,261 |
| July | 9.51% | 1.14× | $380,447 |
| April | 9.06% | 1.09× | $362,445 |
| January | 8.94% | 1.07× | $357,645 |
| June | 8.69% | 1.04× | $347,643 |
| August | 8.48% | 1.02× | $339,242 |
| November | 7.96% | 0.96× | $318,440 |
| May | 7.64% | 0.92× | $305,638 |
| February | 7.49% | 0.90× | $299,637 |
| December | 7.33% | 0.88× | $293,237 |
| October | 6.69% | 0.80× | $267,633 |
| September | 5.88% | 0.71× | $235,229 |
The monthly shares are as the brand reported it across the combined sales of the thirteen parks. The index and the dollar column are marked *, comparing each month to an even 8.33% and applying each share to the average park’s year.
The gap between March and September is $258,032 on an average park. That is 12.33% against 5.88% *, 19.0% of the average Slick City park’s $1,354,739 yearly profit sitting in the difference between two months.
Four months bring 39.84% of the year’s sales. Those months are March, July, April and January *, against 27.39% for the four lowest-selling months, so staffing and cash planning move on the school calendar.
Discounts available
- Slick City charges $65,000 instead of $75,000 for honorably discharged U.S. Armed Forces and National Guard veterans holding at least 51% (or $10,000 off the total development fee for multi-unit buyers).
From Item 5 of the Slick City 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Guests and spend
Guests, spend and parties
Guest counts, spend per head and a birthday-party count turn the income statement into a set of numbers a park manager can run weekly.
| Measure | Average | Median | Highest | Lowest | Read another way * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guests a year | 111,523 | 114,197 | 177,712 | 61,232 | 306 a day |
| Spend per head | $35.70 | $35.87 | $38.32 | $32.17 | A 19.1% spread top to bottom |
| Spend per birthday party | $464.31 | $461.72 | n/a | n/a | 13.0 heads of spend |
| Birthday parties a park | 1,735 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 33 a week |
| Park size | 39,138 sq ft | 40,000 sq ft | 56,182 sq ft | 25,671 sq ft | 2.85 guests a square foot |
| Time open at issue | 1 year 10 months | 1 year 8 months | 3 years 9 months | 12 months | n/a |
Guest counts, spend per head, spend per birthday party, the 22,556 combined parties, the park sizes and the tenures are as the brand reported it. The last column is marked *.
Birthday parties bring about 20.1% of gross sales. 1,735 parties at $464.31 is roughly $805,600 a park *, on the equivalent of 33 party bookings a week.
A party brings in as much as 13.0 walk-in guests. $464.31 against $35.70 *, which is the ratio that decides how a Saturday should be laid out.
Guest counts range 2.9 times where spend per head ranges 1.19 times. 61,232 to 177,712 against $32.17 to $38.32 *, so the gap between parks is footfall.
Guest age mix
| Age | Share of guests | On 111,523 guests * |
|---|---|---|
| 5 to 13 years | 59.23% | 66,055 |
| 18 years and over | 27.15% | 30,278 |
| 0 to 4 years | 7.15% | 7,974 |
| 14 to 17 years | 6.46% | 7,204 |
The shares are as the brand reported it across the combined guests of the thirteen parks and the count column is marked. We applied that rate to the average park’s guest count.
Nine in ten guests are either a child under 14 or an adult. 66.38% and 27.15% *, and the adults are largely there with the children, which is what the party format is built around.
Teenagers are 6.46% of guests. Around 7,204 visits a year *, or 20 a day, the smallest group in a format that reads as built for them.
Building the park
Cost to open
| Line | Low | High | Share of the low column * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attractions package | $850,000 | $1,450,000 | 56.94% |
| Tenant improvements, general contractor | $0 | $1,700,000 | 0.00% |
| AV, telephony, network and cameras | $80,000 | $150,000 | 5.36% |
| Initial franchise fee | $75,000 | $75,000 | 5.02% |
| Architecture and engineering | $50,000 | $70,000 | 3.35% |
| Park equipment | $48,000 | $64,000 | 3.22% |
| Insurance deposit | $46,000 | $67,000 | 3.08% |
| Pre-opening salaries | $46,000 | $65,000 | 3.08% |
| Furniture | $40,000 | $60,000 | 2.68% |
| Additional funds, three months | $30,000 | $215,000 | 2.01% |
| Pre-opening rent and utilities | $25,000 | $105,000 | 1.67% |
| Cafe equipment | $25,000 | $85,000 | 1.67% |
| Murals | $25,000 | $55,000 | 1.67% |
| Pre-opening marketing | $25,000 | $30,000 | 1.67% |
| Fixtures | $24,000 | $40,000 | 1.61% |
| Merchandise | $19,000 | $24,000 | 1.27% |
| Exterior signage | $16,000 | $35,000 | 1.07% |
| Computer equipment | $13,500 | $22,000 | 0.90% |
| Cafe inventory | $9,000 | $14,000 | 0.60% |
| Legal fees | $7,500 | $12,500 | 0.50% |
| Interior signage | $6,500 | $9,000 | 0.44% |
| Building permits | $6,000 | $10,000 | 0.40% |
| Pre-opening insurance | $5,000 | $15,000 | 0.33% |
| Travel | $5,000 | $18,000 | 0.33% |
| Office supplies | $4,600 | $5,600 | 0.31% |
| Utility deposit | $4,000 | $16,000 | 0.27% |
| Printed materials | $3,100 | $4,000 | 0.21% |
| Uniforms | $2,400 | $2,800 | 0.16% |
| Party inventory | $2,200 | $3,000 | 0.15% |
| Lease deposit | $0 | $240,000 | 0.00% |
| Supplemental third-party project manager | $0 | $30,000 | 0.00% |
| Consultants for permits and expediting | $0 | $10,000 | 0.00% |
| Storage containers | $0 | $5,000 | 0.00% |
| Licenses and dues | $0 | $1,500 | 0.00% |
| Total | $1,492,800 | $4,708,400 | 100% |
Amounts are as the brand reported it and the share column is marked *; both columns add to their stated totals to the dollar.
The entry cost is 37.3% of what a settled park bills in a year. That is $1,492,800 against $4,000,499 *, and 117.7% at the top of the range.
At the average park’s profit the low-end build returns in 1.10 years. That is $1,492,800 against $1,354,739 *, and the high-end build in 3.48 years, before interest, tax and depreciation.
The attractions package alone is 21.2% of a settled year’s sales. That is $850,000 against $4,000,499 *, rising to $1,450,000 on a larger park.
Outlet movement, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Franchised at start | Franchised opened | Franchised at end | Company and affiliate at end | Total at end | Franchised share * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0% |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0% |
| 2025 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 20.0% |
Every count is as the brand reported it and the share column is marked *.
Slick City’s first five franchised parks opened in 2025. That compares with 20 company and affiliate parks already trading *, and 54 signed agreements waiting behind them.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does a Slick City franchise make?
Slick City’s 13 parks open from 1 March 2025 to 28 February 2026 averaged $4,000,499 of sales, with a median of $3,941,997, according to Item 19 of Slick City’s 2026 FDD, issued 27 May 2026. Of those 13 Slick City parks, 4 are corporate-owned, 7 are affiliate-owned and 2 are franchised, and the 13 are 52%* of Slick City’s 25 parks at the end of 2025. Fees paid to Slick City come to about 8.57%* of sales.
What does a Slick City park bill?
The thirteen parks trading a full year to 28 February 2026 averaged $4,000,499 of gross sales with a median of $3,941,997, ranging from $2,203,109 to $7,073,339. Average park size is 39,138 square feet, so that is $102.22 a square foot.
What does a Slick City park keep?
The average Slick City park earned $1,354,739 of profit before excluded expenses, a 33.9% margin, with a median of $1,330,875 and a 35.2% median margin. The range runs $133,459 to $3,248,931 and 6.1% to 45.9%. That line stands before interest, consulting fees, taxes, depreciation, amortization and owner compensation, and a manager’s pay is already deducted.
Where does the money go at Slick City?
On the average park: personnel 18.68% of sales, facility costs 14.90%, operating expenses 12.18%, cost of sales 8.79%, royalty 7.27%, marketing 3.31% and the brand fund 0.99%. Cost of sales covers concessions, socks, mats, Slick Sauce and merchandise, and facility costs cover rent with triple net, maintenance, utilities and security.
How many guests does a Slick City park see?
A Slick City park sees 111,523 guests a year on average and 114,197 at the median, ranging from 61,232 to 177,712, about 306 a day. Spend per head is $35.70, ranging $32.17 to $38.32. Guests aged 5 to 13 are 59.23% of the door and adults 27.15%.
What fees does Slick City charge?
Slick City charges a 7% royalty and a 1% brand fund contribution, both weekly, plus a technology fee of $595.24 a month. Local marketing must reach the lesser of 3% of annual gross sales or $150,000, which the brand may raise to 5%. Corporate parks are exempt from the royalty, and the income statement imputes 7% to them anyway.
How much does a Slick City franchise cost to open?
A Slick City franchise costs $1,492,800 to $4,708,400 to open, of which $850,000 to $1,450,000 is the attractions package bought from the franchisor’s affiliate and $0 to $1,700,000 is the general contractor. The franchise fee is $75,000, or $65,000 for a qualified veteran. The low end assumes 20,000 square feet in good condition and the high end 40,000 needing significant work.
Questions worth putting to Slick City
These are questions the Slick City filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to Slick City directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- Which factors does Slick City see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- 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 Slick City locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check 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 park earning per guest?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around guests per operating day, spend per head against the $35.70 benchmark, party bookings per weekend. A seasonal cash plan that matches the school calendar.
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Slick City reads against the rest of the trampoline and adventure parks group: Altitude Trampoline Park · Big Air Trampoline Park · Launch · Sky Zone · Urban Air.
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?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?It explains what an Item 19 financial performance representation tells you and what it leaves out.
- What should I be looking at every week?It lists the handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Slick City Franchise Group LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Slick City® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Slick City Franchise Group LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 27 May 2026.