Ben’s Soft Pretzels
Bottom line
- Total investment $98K – $345K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated STRONG with a risk score of 54/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 13 loans (below the industry average).
- No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
44%
In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Franchisees operate small-format pretzel shops or kiosks, preparing and selling fresh soft pretzels and complementary items (drinks, dipping sauces). Daily operations include dough preparation, baking, point-of-sale management, and staff oversight in mall, street, or standalone locations. The model targets high-traffic venues and impulse purchase customer behavior.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 15 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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.
Score breakdown · what drove the 54 / 100 rating
- 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
- 04MINORWide investment range ($98K–$344.5K) indicates inconsistent startup costs and unclear cost structure
- 05HIGHNo 'Going Concern' flag is FALSE — suggests potential corporate financial distress
- 06MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), increasing renewal/renegotiation risk
- 07MED6% royalty + undisclosed marketing fund could consume 8–12% of gross sales
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
52 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
BEN’S SOFT PRETZELS · FDD (2025) PDF