Does Cicis recommend purchasing or leasing the equipment and supplies for the game room?
Cicis Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
This is the estimated cost of buying all the equipment and supplies for setting up a game room, including, the software licenses for the video games.
The initial cost of setting up a game room could be lower than this estimate if you lease the equipment and supplies; however, we strongly recommend buying the equipment and supplies, and not leasing them.
Regardless of whether you purchase or lease the equipment and supplies for the game room, all the revenue generated from the operation of the game room (without any deduction for amounts that you may to third-parties as license fee, lease rental, or otherwise) will be added to the Net Sales of your Cicis Restaurant for the purpose of calculating the Royalty Fee.
Source: Item 7 — ESTIMATED INITIAL INVESTMENT YOUR ESTIMATED INITIAL INVESTMENT FOR A CICIS BUFFET RESTAURANT (FDD pages 21–25)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Cicis's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Cicis strongly recommends that franchisees purchase the equipment and supplies needed to set up a game room, rather than leasing them. The estimated cost for buying all the equipment and supplies, including software licenses for the video games, ranges from $80,000 to $250,000.
While leasing the equipment and supplies might initially seem like a lower-cost option, Cicis believes that purchasing is the better long-term strategy. This recommendation suggests that Cicis has likely assessed the financial implications and operational benefits of owning versus leasing and determined that ownership is more advantageous for its franchisees.
Regardless of whether a franchisee chooses to purchase or lease the game room equipment and supplies, Cicis stipulates that all revenue generated from the game room operations will be included in the restaurant's Net Sales for the purpose of calculating the Royalty Fee. This means that franchisees will pay a percentage of the total game room revenue to Cicis as part of their ongoing franchise agreement, irrespective of any lease payments or license fees they might owe to third parties.