Ben’s Soft Pretzels Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $122K – $345K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- on 10 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Ben's Soft Pretzels is a snack franchise serving fresh-baked Amish-recipe soft pretzels, dips, and drinks. Franchisees run stores, kiosks, or mobile units managing baking, counter service, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS franchise requires a total initial investment of $122K – $345K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 10 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $122K – $345K
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 88
- 75th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $122K – $345K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports actual annual Gross Sales (as defined, excluding sales tax and redeemed coupons) for each individual Franchisee-Owned and Company-Owned Operating Store for 2023-2025, broken out by venue sub-type (Stand Alone, Mall, Walmart, Meijer, Mobile, Venue) per operator; no system-wide average, median, or net income figures were disclosed.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 88/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +3 franchised outlets in the latest year (6 opened, 3 closed); 6 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchising Corporation
- CEO title
- Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Scott A. Jones
- CEO experience
- 16 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- Indiana
- HQ
- 1119 S. Indiana Avenue, Goshen, Indiana 46526
- Auditor
- Insight Accounting Group, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.8M
- vs $1.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Scott A. Jones
- Headquarters
- Indiana
- Founded
- 2012
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 13
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 52% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $40K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $72K | $275K |
| Total initial investment | $122K | $345K |
Source: BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $122K – $345K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $229 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $11K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports actual annual Gross Sales (as defined, excluding sales tax and redeemed coupons) for each individual Franchisee-Owned and Company-Owned Operating Store for 2023-2025, broken out by venue sub-type (Stand Alone, Mall, Walmart, Meijer, Mobile, Venue) per operator; no system-wide average, median, or net income figures were disclosed.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (+1.3% 3-year CAGR) with 88 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Ben’s Soft Pretzels Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 88
- Opened
- 6
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.4%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 92%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +1.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +1.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 2
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 6
- 0.07 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 4.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 5.9%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 11.8%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
50 current owners across 11 states; 2 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- IN 23
- TX 7
- MI 5
- FL 4
- OH 3
- IL 2
- WI 2
- AL 1
- AZ 1
- NC 1
- NY 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 10
- Loan volume
- $696K
- Median loan
- $70K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- on 10 loans · rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 6.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- Jobs supported
- 91
- Lender concentration
- N/A
Borrower mix: 50% went to startups / new businesses, 50% to established operators
Top lenders financing Ben’s Soft Pretzels franchisees
Showing 3 of 5 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Ben’s Soft Pretzels from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Avg interest rate
- 6.93%
- Jobs supported
- 91
Top SBA lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| 2 | Peoples Bank | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| 3 | Lake City Bank | 2 | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | State Bank | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| 5 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 1 | N/A | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| INIndiana | 7 | 0 | -- |
| OHOhio | 3 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 10 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Ben's Soft Pretzels presents elevated risk due to missing financial performance data, anemic unit growth, unprotected territories, and potential parent company viability concerns.
Why this reads harsher than the A grade: the grade weighs financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency across the whole filing, while this summary lists individual flags without that weighting. The flags are worth checking with current owners; neither is investment advice.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Insight Accounting Group, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 88 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure (average revenue and net income not provided) — impossible to validate ROI claims
- 02MINORMinimal unit growth of 4.0% YoY suggests market saturation or franchisee struggles
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other Ben's franchisees in same area
- 04MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), increasing renewal/renegotiation risk
- 05MED6% royalty + undisclosed marketing fund could consume 8–12% of gross sales
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | 5,000 people |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Goshen, Indiana |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Goshen, Indiana / Virtual Training
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
52 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS franchise?
The total investment to open a BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS franchise ranges from $122K – $345K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS?
BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS is franchised by Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchising Corporation. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS has 88 total units in the United States, including 81 franchised units and 7 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 88 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.