Aurum Grill Business Plan — Unit Economics

The representative drive-thru store is the economic building block of the network. Its unit economics validate the store-level returns that underpin both corporate profitability and franchisee viability.

Representative drive-thru store

Metric	Value
Daily transactions	1,400
Average basket size	R98
Annual revenue	~R48.0m
Food cost	28% – 32%
Labour cost	20% – 24%
Store EBITDA margin	20% – 26%
Store development cost	R8m – R15m
EBITDA payback	3 – 4 years

Figure 19. *Representative drive-thru unit economics: R48m revenue converting to ~R11.5m store EBITDA at a ~24% margin.*

NOTE Store payback and the franchise value proposition

At a ~24% store EBITDA margin, a mature drive-thru generates roughly R11.5m of annual store EBITDA against an R8m–R15m build cost, an EBITDA payback of approximately three to four years. This is the return that attracts and retains franchisees; sustaining it (through procurement, format and marketing support) is what protects the Company’s royalty base and therefore the group’s cash flow.

ANALYST FLAG Unit economics are format- and site-specific

The 1,400-transaction, R98-basket drive-thru is a strong-site illustration. Mall, forecourt and delivery-kitchen formats carry different volume, margin and capex profiles; the blended network run-rate (~R32m per store by FY2031) is materially below the flagship drive-thru. Site selection discipline is therefore the primary determinant of whether these unit economics are realised at scale.