Island Fin Poke F/A

The decision to invest in a fast-casual restaurant franchise is one of the most capital-intensive choices an individual investor will make, and the poke bowl segment has emerged as one of the most compelling — and most scrutinized — niches within that category. Consumers are actively shifting away from traditional fast food toward meals that are fresh, protein-rich, and customizable, and poke bowls sit precisely at the intersection of those demands. Island Fin Poke F/A was founded by Mark Setterington in 2017, with the first location opening in March 2017 in Winter Springs, Florida, after early conceptual work beginning in 2016. Setterington brings more than 35 years of restaurant industry experience to the brand, and the company was co-founded alongside a partner named Paul. The concept was never originally designed to franchise — the first location performed so well that franchising became the logical next step, with the brand formally launching its franchise program in 2018 and welcoming its first franchisee-owned location in 2019. Headquartered at 7004 Tavistock Lakes Blvd, Suite 148, Orlando, Florida 32827, Island Fin Poke F/A currently operates 13 franchised units across the United States, with no corporate-owned locations in the active database snapshot. The brand differentiates itself through Hawaiian-inspired build-your-own poke bowls, house-made sauces, sustainably sourced ingredients, and a hospitality culture rooted in the Hawaiian concept of "Ohana" — meaning family — which manifests in both staff culture and the guest experience. This is an independent analyst assessment, not marketing copy; what follows is a structured, data-driven examination of the Island Fin Poke F/A franchise opportunity for serious investors conducting due diligence.

The market conditions surrounding Island Fin Poke F/A as a franchise opportunity are shaped by powerful secular tailwinds that extend well beyond any single brand's execution. The global poke market is projected to grow by $5.2 billion between 2024 and 2029, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 9.9% — a figure that significantly outpaces general restaurant industry growth benchmarks. North America alone is forecast to experience 58% growth during that forecast window, driven by consumer preference for high-protein, omega-3-rich meals that align with broader health and wellness dietary trends. This demand is structural, not cyclical: the shift toward fresh, customizable fast-casual dining represents a generational reorientation in how American consumers think about convenience food. The broader Limited-Service Restaurant market, which is the category in which Island Fin Poke F/A competes directly, was estimated at $823.96 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $1,214.93 billion by 2032, growing at a 5.71% CAGR from 2025 onward. Within that massive category, the poke segment occupies a premium-positioned, high-growth sub-niche that commands above-average consumer spending per transaction relative to legacy fast food. The competitive landscape for poke-specific franchises remains moderately fragmented compared to burger or sandwich categories, which means early franchise investors in proven poke brands capture territory in markets before saturation dynamics compress margins and restrict expansion optionality. One legitimate macro risk worth noting: the rising popularity of poke bowls has been documented as placing strain on global tuna and fish stocks, which could affect supply chain pricing and sustainability positioning over the long term. Investors evaluating the Island Fin Poke F/A franchise opportunity should factor input cost volatility — particularly for premium seafood — into their pro forma modeling.

Understanding the full capital commitment required for an Island Fin Poke F/A franchise investment is essential before any site selection or operator qualification conversation begins. The franchise fee for the first unit is $49,500, paid upfront upon execution of the franchise agreement, with a reduced fee of $40,500 for a second unit — a meaningful incentive for investors who enter with a multi-unit development mindset. The total initial investment range spans from $283,550 to $449,500, with a midpoint of approximately $366,525, and the brand itself positions this investment level as sitting 30% to 50% below the sub-sector averages for fast-casual concepts, which range from $406,514 to $894,151. The Island Fin Poke F/A franchise cost is meaningfully accessible relative to comparable build-your-own fresh food concepts, which is a structural advantage for first-time franchisees or investors deploying capital across a multi-unit development agreement. The largest variable cost driver within the investment range is leasehold improvements and construction, which spans $120,000 to $220,000 depending on geography, landlord contribution, and the condition of the space being built out. Additional investment line items include equipment at $25,000 to $40,000, furniture and fixtures at $15,000 to $20,000, exterior signage at $3,500 to $7,000, architect and design fees at $4,000 to $12,000, grand opening advertising at a fixed $10,000, computer systems at $1,500 to $3,000, initial inventory at $5,000 to $7,000, business licenses and permits at $1,500 to $2,500, professional fees at $750 to $1,500, insurance at $1,200 to $1,600, training expenses at $1,600 to $2,400, premises deposits at $5,000 to $18,000, and three months of operating expenses reserved at $40,000 to $55,000. Prospective franchisees are required to have a minimum of $100,000 in liquid capital and a net worth of at least $400,000. Ongoing fees consist of a royalty of 6% of gross sales and a National Brand Fund advertising contribution of 1.5% of gross sales — a combined 7.5% of top-line revenue, which is consistent with fast-casual industry norms. Financial assistance is available through partnerships with outside lenders, including Benetrends, which provides SBA-compliant financing solutions for qualified candidates.

Day-to-day operations within the Island Fin Poke F/A franchise model are anchored in a streamlined fast-casual service format where guests customize their poke bowls by selecting a base, protein, mix-ins, and finishing with house-made sauces. The build-your-own format reduces kitchen complexity, shortens ticket times, and creates a labor model that is considerably leaner than full-service restaurants — a meaningful advantage in an industry where labor costs are the most volatile line item on the P&L. Training is multi-phased and comprehensive: the mandatory Initial Management Training Program is delivered at the franchisor's headquarters or a designated training location and is provided at no charge for up to two principals and one general manager, though franchisees are responsible for travel, lodging, and related expenses. The program includes 17 hours of classroom instruction and 23 hours of on-the-job training, totaling 40 structured hours of pre-opening preparation. Beyond the pre-opening program, the franchisor deploys trainers on-site at the franchisee's location for 8 full days to train the broader team, followed by direct operational support during the first 5 days of the location's live operation. The support infrastructure extends well beyond launch: franchisees have access to a centralized management platform called "the Big Island," which houses marketing tools, operational checklists, and key administrative forms. A 2022 partnership with InnoVision Marketing Group produced measurable digital marketing results, generating 9,000 walk-ins and nearly 2 million website impressions over a three-month campaign window — demonstrating that the brand's marketing investment produces trackable consumer conversion. Franchisees also receive site selection assistance, lease negotiation support, and recruiting assistance, which reduces the operational burden on new operators entering the system. Territory structure includes both single-unit exclusive territory agreements and area development agreements for investors seeking to establish multiple locations across a defined geography.

Island Fin Poke F/A franchise revenue data provides important context for investors building their financial models, and transparency here matters enormously to any responsible due diligence process. Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document for this brand iteration, which means prospective franchisees cannot rely on franchisor-provided average unit volume figures within the FDD itself to underwrite their investment. However, the brand's broader FDD for Fiscal Year 2022 has disclosed that the average gross revenue across franchised units was $485,389, sourced from financial performance representations that have been publicly discussed in franchise industry research. That figure is meaningful but warrants context: it falls below the sub-sector average of $696,569 for comparable fast-casual franchise concepts, a gap that the company attributes to the system being in an early development stage, where newer locations have not yet reached maturity and the overall unit count is insufficient to offset the drag of recently opened stores still in their ramp-up period. Revenue alone, however, does not indicate profitability; the brand is cited as having high margins due to its ingredient-focused, low-waste model, but specific net margin data is not publicly enumerated. Investors should conduct independent analysis using the 6% royalty and 1.5% advertising fee alongside their own labor and occupancy cost assumptions to build a realistic owner earnings estimate. The brand opened 10 units in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a notable operational signal — franchisees who opened during one of the most challenging restaurant operating environments in modern history did so successfully enough that the system continued to expand. At a $366,525 midpoint investment and a $485,389 average gross revenue figure, a franchise running at industry-typical fast-casual EBITDA margins of 15% to 20% would generate approximately $72,800 to $97,000 in pre-tax operating income annually before debt service, suggesting a payback window in the 4 to 5 year range under conservative assumptions.

The growth trajectory of Island Fin Poke F/A as a franchise system reflects a brand that has expanded steadily through a deliberate, market-by-market strategy rather than pursuing rapid unit proliferation at the expense of franchisee quality. After launching its first franchisee-operated location in 2019, the brand grew to 25 total U.S. locations and demonstrated enough resilience to open 10 units in 2020 despite pandemic-related disruptions across the entire restaurant industry. By May 2023, 28 locations were open with 63 units sold — including a notable three-unit area development deal signed in Sacramento, California — signaling that multi-unit operators were committing meaningful capital to the brand's expansion. As of early 2026, 28 open locations and 58 sold units are on record, with 1 corporate-owned unit in operation. CEO Mark Setterington has publicly articulated a five-year plan to reach 100 restaurants, which would represent a more than threefold increase from current open unit counts and implies a sustained annual net new unit velocity of roughly 14 to 15 locations per year. The brand's expansion focus has been concentrated in the Southeast, with particular density in Florida and North Carolina, while 2022 openings extended the footprint into Salt Lake City, Broomfield, Clarksville, Smithfield, Tallahassee, Miami Lakes, St. Petersburg, Panama City, and Greenwich — a geographic diversification that reduces regional concentration risk. The brand currently operates exclusively in the United States, though it accepts international inquiry forms and has identified Canada as an area of potential international availability. A competitive moat is being constructed through the house-made sauce program, the Ohana hospitality culture, and the centralized "Big Island" technology platform, which creates operational consistency across a geographically distributed franchise system.

The ideal candidate for the Island Fin Poke F/A franchise opportunity is an owner-operator or experienced multi-unit developer who brings either direct food service management experience or a strong background in consumer-facing business operations with demonstrated team leadership capability. The brand's entry requirements — $100,000 in liquid capital and $400,000 minimum net worth — establish a clear financial qualification floor that screens for operators with the stability to weather the early ramp-up period without liquidity stress. The geographic expansion roadmap prioritizes markets in Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and New York, meaning that viable exclusive territories remain available in multiple high-population, high-income markets with strong health-conscious consumer demographics. The franchise system accommodates both single-unit investors seeking an owner-operator business and area developers willing to commit to multi-unit agreements, with the Sacramento three-unit deal serving as a template for the kind of regional growth agreements the brand is actively seeking. The brand's expansion states — spanning 20-plus markets including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, and Virginia — reflect a national ambition that is being executed at a disciplined pace. Investors who enter an underpenetrated territory within the brand's target expansion geography have the first-mover advantage of establishing brand recognition in markets where consumer awareness is still being built, which historically correlates with stronger long-term unit economics for early territory holders.

For investors conducting serious due diligence on the Island Fin Poke F/A franchise, the investment thesis rests on four convergent factors: a high-growth poke market expanding at a 9.9% CAGR through 2029, a below-sector-average total investment of $283,550 to $449,500 that sits 30% to 50% below fast-casual norms, a streamlined operating model with structural labor advantages, and a brand in its early franchise growth stage with 58 units sold against a stated 100-unit target — meaning franchisees who enter now are joining a system that has validated its model but has not yet saturated its target markets. The Island Fin Poke F/A franchise opportunity carries a PeerSense FPI Score of 62, classified as Moderate, which reflects a brand that has demonstrated operational resilience and market traction while acknowledging that the system is still in the growth phase where franchisee outcomes have meaningful variance based on market selection, operator experience, and unit maturity. The FPI score, in context, is appropriate for a franchise that opened 10 units during the 2020 pandemic, grew to 28 open locations by 2023, and has a founding CEO with 35 years of restaurant experience actively managing brand standards. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score analysis, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to benchmark Island Fin Poke F/A against every other franchise concept in the limited-service restaurant category. Explore the complete Island Fin Poke F/A franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data and make a fully informed capital allocation decision.