Start a Just Poke Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $186K - $300K

Units as of 2024: 36 176.9% over 3 years

If you’re looking to open a semi-healthy restaurant business, starting a Just Poke franchise may be the right choice for you. Franchisees can open this food industry staple if they have determination and love for new opportunities. Having some business experience in this industry may benefit franchisees who need a license to start this business.

In 2016, Just Poke set up its headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. It then opened its first store in downtown Kirkland, Washington. Being a local health poke chain located mainly in the Pacific Northwest, Just Poke may offer convenient, clean eating. Its co-founders, Norman Wu and Danny Brawer, have secret ingredients that Just Poke uses to make recipes.

Just Poke began franchising in 2020 and has since opened several franchises in the United States.

Why You May Want To Start a Just Poke Franchise

Just Poke has been ranked in BIZ Experiences’s Top New Franchises and Top Food Franchises. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

You don’t need extensive experience to start a Just Poke franchise. However, franchisees should be willing to follow a proven business model and lead their employees while satisfying customers.

Offering catering services may help your franchise thrive, as you can deliver quality food and drinks to parties/events. This service also may add another possible moneymaker to your Just Poke franchise.

What Might Make a Just Poke Franchise a Good Choice?

Opening a Just Poke franchise could offer a more predictable outcome than investing in a completely new brand that may struggle to thrive in an already crowded and competitive industry.

To be part of the Just Poke franchise team, you should 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 fees and royalty fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set net worth requirements.

How To Open a Just Poke Franchise

As you decide if opening a Just Poke franchise is the right move for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Just Poke franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

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 Just Poke franchising team questions.

If awarded a franchise, franchisees may receive a great deal of support from the Just Poke brand throughout the franchising process. In addition to pre-opening training, franchisees may receive support through brand awareness, marketing, research, and construction. Potential Just Poke franchisees may also receive hands-on training and continued support after their franchise location has opened.

Company Overview

About Just Poke

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Poke, Asian Food
Founded	2016
Parent Company	Graceful Bowls LLC
Leadership	Norman Wu, Founder
Corporate Address	278 106th Ave. N.E. Bellevue, WA 98004
Social	Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2020 (5 years)
# of employees at HQ	25
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises worldwide.
# of Units	36 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Just Poke 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.	$35,000
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.	$186,000 - $299,500
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.	$200,000 - $500,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	50% 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.	6%
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%
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.

In-House Financing	Just Poke offers in-house financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll
Third Party Financing	Just Poke 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	35 hours
Classroom Training	45 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	Co-op Advertising 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?	No
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.	Yes
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
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