Slick City franchise unit economics
Slick City franchisees run indoor action parks built around slides, air courts and soft play in 20,000 to 45,000 square feet of converted retail space. The thirteen parks trading a full year to 28 February 2026 averaged $4,000,499 of gross sales and $1,354,739 of profit before excluded expenses, a 33.9% margin after a 7% royalty. That came from 111,523 guests at $35.70 a head, about 306 a day.
- Primary source
- Slick City Franchise Group 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
- 13 of 5 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 Slick City park billed $4,000,499 and kept $1,354,739 of it before tax, interest and depreciation, a 33.9% margin with a 7% royalty already taken out. That came from 111,523 guests spending $35.70 each, about 306 a day through a 39,138 square foot building.
- The average park keeps 33.9% of what it bills, and the range runs 45.9% to 6.1%. $1,354,739 on $4,000,499, with the highest-selling park keeping $3,248,931 and the lowest-selling $133,459 *, a difference of 24.3 times on revenue that range 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 *, with the first six months averaging $421,806, the build-up here runs downward.
- Spend per head is $35.70 and a park sees 111,523 guests a year. 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 the till. 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. $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?
The average Slick City unit reported $4,000,499 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $3,941,997. The brand’s disclosure document puts the profit line at 33.9% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 11.6% 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 splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $7,073,339 a year. The worst averaged $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.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 3.2× 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 20,000 to 45,000 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 $1,492,800 to $4,708,400, a 3.2× 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 14.9% 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 18.7% of sales, against 33.9% 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 14.9% 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.
- Jobs, the operating driver.This model bills on jobs. Every job is won again, so the owner works on how many quotes turn into work and what the average job is worth when it does. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Membership and rebooking.A recurring plan turns a high-fixed-cost business from an appointment book into a subscription, which smooths the utilisation that drives the wage line. Rebooking before the customer leaves is what builds it, not marketing spend afterwards.
- 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 11.6% 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.
- The first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up, so the ramp can be underwritten from the document rather than assumed. Read two things out of it: the month sales cross the point where costs are covered, and how much cash you fund before that month arrives. Everything before break-even is paid for by you.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.13 of 5 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.
- Brand-owned locations.The franchisor reports its own locations alongside the franchised ones. Treat them as indicative rather than representative: they are operated by the franchisor, usually mature, and usually few.
Profit and loss by park
$4,000,499 in, $1,354,739 kept.
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 shares kept 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%, which is a rounding error in this model. $351,813 against $4,000,499 *. The product being sold is time in a building.
Profits range 24.3 times where revenue range 3.2 times. $133,459 to $3,248,931 against $2,203,109 to $7,073,339 *, and shares kept run 6.1% to 45.9%, the same attractions, the same fee schedule, two different outcomes.
Two parks in thirteen earned under $700,000. Against six earning between the $1,354,739 average and the $3,248,931 top *, and the groups account for twelve of the thirteen.
Opening and seasons
The busiest month is the first one.
Gross sales for every park’s first full month, first three months and first six months, set against the settled parks’ monthly rate, the build-up shape is clear.
| 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.
March has twice what September does.
| 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. 12.33% against 5.88% *, more than a fifth of a whole year’s profit sitting in the difference between two months.
Four months take 39.84% of the year. March, July, April and January *, against 27.39% for the four lowest-selling parks, so staffing and cash planning move on the school calendar.
Guests and spend
111,523 guests at $35.70 each.
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 is worth 13.0 walk-in heads. $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 range 1.19 times. 61,232 to 177,712 against $32.17 to $38.32 *, so the gap between parks is footfall.
Who walks in.
| 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. Applied 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 the door. 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
$1,492,800 to open, and two thirds of it goes to the brand.
| 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. $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. $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. $850,000 against $4,000,499 *, rising to $1,450,000 on a larger park.
The brand owns most of the system.
| 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 *.
Five of the first thirteen franchised parks opened in a single year. Against 20 company and affiliate parks already trading *, and 54 signed agreements waiting behind them.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
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 park keep?
$1,354,739 of profit before excluded expenses at the average, 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, tax, depreciation and amortization, and before owner compensation where the owner manages the park.
Where does the money go?
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 park see?
111,523 a year at the 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 does the brand take?
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.
What does it cost to open?
$1,492,800 to $4,708,400, 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
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 Slick City 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 park earning per guest?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built 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.
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
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?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.