2026 FDD Issued May 5, 2026 Minnesota Commerce (CARDS)
Crave Cookies Franchise Cost (2026)
A Crave Cookies franchise costs an estimated $327,985 – $734,800 to open, according to Item 7 of the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). That total includes the $39,500 initial franchise fee (Item 5) and covers this format: Standard Store. Item 6 lists royalty: 6% of Gross Sales, subject to the conditions below. This record has unresolved source-review issues and was published provisionally before independent verification was complete.
Read the source-review hold before using these figures.
- Total investment
- $328K – $735KItem 7 source and qualifications
- Franchise fee
- $39.5KItem 5 source and terms
- Royalty
- 6% of Gross SalesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
- Brand fund
- 2% of Gross SalesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
What stands out about Crave Cookies
Item 19 measures each shop's first year, not a calendar year. The $644,075 average covers franchised shops' first year of operation, with those years falling anywhere from mid-2022 to early 2026 depending on when each opened. Shops that changed owners during that year are left out, and so are shops that closed before finishing it.
Profit data is thin and monthly. A second Item 19 table looks only at franchisee-submitted monthly profit and loss statements within a narrow band of sales near the average, and the FDD warns against annualizing them. A minority of those months still showed negative EBITDA.
Growth has been fast. Item 20 shows 23 franchised openings in 2025 against 4 closures, and the projected-openings table lists dozens more signed agreements. The outlet tables disagree on the year-end split between franchised and company-owned shops, so the counts on this page follow the franchised-outlet status table.
Costs reach past the royalty. Alongside a royalty of 6% of Gross Sales and a marketing fund contribution of 2% of Gross Sales, owners must buy boxes and promotional merchandise from the franchisor, and an exhibit to the franchise agreement sets a schedule of fines for specific system violations.
What are the initial franchise fees and financial requirements for Crave Cookies?
Item 5 lists an initial franchise fee of $39,500 for Crave Cookies. Check the cited Item 5 for payment timing, discounts and format-specific terms.
Item 5 (PDF pages 11-12): $39,500 at signing, non-refundable; additional franchises with identical ownership, or under a Multi-Unit Development Agreement, are $26,000 each. In Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia and Washington the franchisor collects initial fees only after it completes its pre-opening duties and you open. You must also buy boxes and promotional merchandise from the franchisor, including a new-store beginning order currently $6,585.
Source: Crave Cookies 2026 FDD, Item 5, PDF p. 11.
This record lists no minimum net worth or liquid-capital requirement for Crave Cookies, because no sourced figure has been recorded. Ask the franchisor for its current financial qualifications in writing.
How much does it cost to open a Crave Cookies franchise? (Item 7)
Source: Crave Cookies 2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 15.
Item 7 of Crave Cookies’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates the total cost to open one standard store at $327,985 – $734,800. This total includes the initial franchise fee.
| Expense Category | Low ($) | High ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $39,500 | $39,500 |
| Rent and Lease Security Deposit | $2,500 | $10,000 |
| Utilities | $500 | $3,000 |
| Leasehold Improvements | $150,000 | $450,000 |
| Market Introduction Program | $4,000 | $8,000 |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $90,000 | $130,000 |
| Computer Systems | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Insurance | $400 | $4,800 |
| Signage | $8,000 | $25,000 |
| Inventory | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| New Site Beginning Order | $6,585 | $10,000 |
| Licenses and Permits | $1,500 | $2,500 |
| Professional Fees | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Training | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Additional Funds (first 3 months) | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Total | $327,985 | $734,800 |
For comparison, the median high-end investment among 25 restaurants & food records without a source-review hold is $1,297,100.
Item 7 (PDF pages 15-17) prints $327,985 to $734,800 to open one location and run it for three months; its 15 lines add to that total. Leasehold improvements are the largest line. The estimate assumes one month of rent plus a deposit, with free rent negotiated for the build-out. A Multi-Unit Development Agreement for 3 to 5 locations prints $380,985 to $843,800 for the first location plus the additional fees.
What ongoing royalties and fees does Crave Cookies charge? (Item 6)
Source: Crave Cookies 2026 FDD, Item 6, PDF p. 12.
Item 6 of Crave Cookies’s 2026 FDD lists the charges below. Recurring charges and charges triggered by a transfer, renewal or other event have different conditions. Read each fee’s basis and notes before comparing rates.
How to read an Item 6 fee table.
| Fee Type | Amount / Rate | Payment Frequency | Notes & Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 6% of Gross Sales | Every period | 6% of Gross Sales, paid twice monthly on the 1st and 16th by bank draft (notes 1 and 2). (Item 6, PDF p. 12) |
| Marketing Fund Contribution | 2% of Gross Sales | Every period | 2% of Gross Sales, paid twice monthly. (Item 6, PDF p. 12) |
| Replacement / Additional Training Fee | Varies | When it applies | Currently $300 per person per day for managers or employees trained after opening. (Item 6, PDF p. 12) |
| Third Party Vendors | Varies | When it applies | Pass-through of designated vendors' costs (such as computer support, mystery shopping and customer feedback) plus an administrative charge of up to 10%. (Item 6, PDF p. 12) |
| Software Subscription | $300 – $400 per month | Every period | Currently $300 per month, authorized up to $400, pulled from your account for POS software; may change with software providers. (Item 6, PDF p. 12) |
| Non-compliance Fee | Varies | When it applies | $500 plus the franchisor's cure costs plus 10% if non-compliance is not corrected within 30 days, then $250 per week until corrected. (Item 6, PDF p. 12) |
| Reimbursement | Varies | When it applies | Amounts the franchisor pays on your behalf plus 10%, within 15 days of invoice. (Item 6, PDF p. 13) |
| Late Fee | Varies | When it applies | $100 plus 18% annual interest (or the legal maximum) on the unpaid amount. (Item 6, PDF p. 13) |
| Insufficient Funds Fee | $30 | When it applies | $30 or the legal maximum per returned payment. (Item 6, PDF p. 13) |
| Costs of Collection | Varies | When it applies | Actual collection costs, including reasonable attorney fees. (Item 6, PDF p. 13) |
| Special Support Fee | Varies | When it applies | Currently $600 per day plus expenses for in-person support you request. (Item 6, PDF p. 13) |
| Customer Complaint Resolution | Varies | When it applies | The franchisor's expenses if it responds to a customer complaint about your business. (Item 6, PDF p. 13) |
| Records Audit | Varies | When it applies | Actual cost if the audit follows missing reports or non-compliance, or finds Gross Sales under-reported by more than 3% for any 4-week period. (Item 6, PDF p. 13) |
| Special Inspection Fee | Varies | When it applies | Currently $600 plus costs for an inspection prompted by a government report, customer complaint or your non-compliance. (Item 6, PDF p. 14) |
| System Non-compliance Fines and Charges | Varies | When it applies | Set in the operations manual; currently $50 to $2,000 if deficiencies are not corrected. (Item 6, PDF p. 14) |
| Non-compliance, Violation and Fees | Varies | When it applies | From $0 if cured up to $5,000 per the violation schedule in Exhibit L (Attachment 4 to the franchise agreement). (Item 6, PDF p. 14) |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 | When it applies | $10,000 plus broker fees and other costs when you sell; the $10,000 fee does not apply in Washington. (Item 6, PDF p. 14) |
| Liquidated Damages | Varies | When it applies | Royalties and marketing contributions for the lesser of 2 years or the remaining term, if terminated for your default or you terminate without the right to. (Item 6, PDF p. 14) |
| Indemnity | Varies | When it applies | The franchisor's costs and losses from actions related to your franchise. (Item 6, PDF p. 14) |
| Prevailing Party's Legal Costs | Varies | When it applies | The losing party pays attorney fees and costs in any legal proceeding. (Item 6, PDF p. 14) |
| Post-opening In-person Support | Varies | When it applies | $600 per day plus travel, lodging and meals for post-opening support you request. (Item 6, PDF p. 15) |
Explore annual fees and payback assumptions
This fee schedule cannot be reduced to the calculator’s simple sales-based formula. Enter your own assumptions and check them against the Item 6 terms.
Crave Cookies startup investment and modeled fees over 10 years
A source check placed this record on review hold. Automatic fee estimates are withheld until the outstanding issues are resolved. See the fee amounts and definitions in Item 6 above. Open the calculator with your own assumptions.
Item 20: Crave Cookies franchised outlet history
Source: Crave Cookies 2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 52.
Item 20 Table 3 reports 54 franchised outlets at the end of 2025. The company-owned table reports a further 2 outlets.
| Year | Franchised at Start | Opened | Reported Exits | At End | Franchise Exit Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 21 | — |
| 2024 | 21 | 15 | 1 | 35 | — |
| 2025 | 35 | 23 | 4 | 54 | — |
Calculated outlet totals, net growth and exit rates are withheld because this record has not cleared the current Item 20 source checks. The table retains the outlet counts printed in Item 20. Read the unresolved source issues.
Reported exits include terminations, non-renewals, franchisor reacquisitions and other cessations. A reacquired outlet may continue operating. How we calculate the exit rate. How to read the Item 20 outlet tables.
6 units changed owners in 2025.
Item 20 Table 3 totals (PDF page 52) add up for each year, but Table 1 (PDF page 48) prints 53 franchised and 3 company-owned outlets at the end of 2025 against Table 3's 54 and Table 4's 2. Table 5 lists 44 franchise agreements signed but not opened and 39 projected openings for the next fiscal year.
How much do Crave Cookies franchise owners make? (Item 19)
Source: Crave Cookies 2026 FDD, Item 19, PDF p. 41.
Item 19 of the 2026 FDD reports average Year 1 Gross Sales, included franchised outlets of $644,075 (Each outlet's first 12 months of operation, falling between July 2022 and April 2026, 42 franchised outlets that completed 12 months by April 30, 2026, excluding 6 with an ownership change in year 1; 15 (35.7%) at or above the average). Crave Cookies’s Item 19 reports sales but no profit, costs or owner pay. Rent, payroll, supplies, loan payments and Item 6 fees come out of sales before an owner is paid, so these figures cannot show what an owner earns.
Read the source-review hold before using this figure.
See every Crave Cookies Item 19 figure, with its period and sample.
Payback calculator (enter your own assumptions) Check any inputs against this record’s Item 7 startup costs and Item 6 fee rules.
How to interpret Crave Cookies’s Item 19 figures and sample limits.
How long is the Crave Cookies franchise agreement term?
Source: Crave Cookies 2026 FDD, Item 17, PDF p. 35.
The standard Crave Cookies franchise agreement runs 10 years, with renewal terms of 5 years.
Item 17 (PDF page 35): 10 years from the date of the franchise agreement, with a 5-year successor agreement if you are in good standing; the successor agreement may offer a further term.
How long does it take to open a Crave Cookies franchise? (Item 11)
Source: Crave Cookies 2026 FDD, Item 11, PDF p. 24.
Item 11 of the 2026 FDD states the time from signing the franchise agreement to opening: 3-6 months.
Franchises with a similar investment range
These published records are selected by proximity to Crave Cookies’s $327,985 low-end Item 7 investment, starting with Restaurants & Food. Formats, fees and source qualifications differ; the figures are not interchangeable budgets:
- Pinkberry $303K – $684K Restaurants & Food
- German Doner Kebab $366K – $638K Source review pending Provisional publication Restaurants & Food
- Jimmy John's $366K – $734K Source review pending Restaurants & Food
- Marco's Pizza $286K – $811K Restaurants & Food
- Papa Johns $281K – $890K Restaurants & Food
- Ben & Jerry's $280K – $631K Restaurants & Food
Compare other restaurants & food franchises
Sources
Crave Cookies Franchising, LLC Franchise Disclosure Document, issued May 5, 2026, as filed with the Minnesota Commerce (CARDS). Read the source FDD PDF. How to get this FDD yourself.
- Item 5: cited PDF p. 11
- Item 6: cited PDF p. 12
- Item 7: cited PDF p. 15
- Item 19: cited PDF p. 39
- Item 20: cited PDF p. 52
- Agreement term (Item 17): cited PDF p. 35
Page references for Crave Cookies use the PDF viewer's digital page count, not printed page headers. Some viewers download the document instead of opening the referenced page.
If the state document viewer does not open, use Minnesota Commerce's public filing instructions to look up the filing by franchisor name and document date.
Document & verification changelog
- November 3, 2026: Source review hold recorded. Unresolved corrections are listed in this source section.
- November 3, 2026: Initial cost profile published from the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (issued May 5, 2026).
- November 3, 2026: Rechecked against the May 5, 2026 Minnesota FDD: Items 5, 6, 7, 11, 17, 19 and 20. Item 6 now lists all 21 rows (the draft had 4). Moved the multi-unit table to notes, and added the opening time, renewal terms and Item 19 sample details. Rewrote the analysis, removing claims the FDD does not support. The Item 20 table conflict remains and is disclosed.
- November 2, 2026: Provisional publication approved per owner directive: Owner directed on November 2, 2026 that every remaining batch 6 brand go live, including brands whose FDDs print conflicting figures. Each record was rechecked against its FDD on November 3, 2026; the unresolved source conflicts remain disclosed and the record is not marked verified.