Cookie Co.Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Cookie Co. franchise requires a total initial investment of $233K – $553K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 50.0% charge-off rate across 11 loans[1]. Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $233K – $553K
- 41st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 80th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 12
- 38th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 50.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
50.0% of SBA loans charged off across 11 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
86% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $233K – $553K including a $35K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.1M/year, with an estimated 86% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 75/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 50.0% across 11 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Cookie Co. Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Elise Thomas
- CEO experience
- 5 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- UT
- HQ
- 2278 North 300 East, Lehi, Utah 84043
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $28K
- vs $1.0M prior year
Overview
About
Cookie Co. franchisees operate cookie retail locations, likely selling fresh-baked or specialty cookies to walk-in customers. Day-to-day operations include food preparation, inventory management, point-of-sale transactions, customer service, and local marketing.
- CEO
- Elise Thomas
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 6
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $35K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $183K | $483K |
| Total initial investment | $233K | $553K |
Source: Cookie Co. 2023 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$147K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
35%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
34 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $233K – $553K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 1.2 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $10K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $338K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 86.0%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Company-owned outlet
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 28 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $877K→$1.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Cookie Co. Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 12
- Opened
- 11
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 67%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 20
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 11
- Loan volume
- $2.2M
- Median loan
- $288K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 50.0%
- 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)
- 50.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 50.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Cookie Co.'s SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 3 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 50.0% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 2 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Going concern status combined with minimal unit growth, unverified financial claims, and high investment relative to net income creates substantial risk for franchise failure or franchisor collapse.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern Warning: Franchisor flagged as going concern indicates potential financial distress or sustainability questions at corporate level
- 02MINORStagnant Unit Count: Only 12 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests minimal system expansion and potential market saturation or performance issues
- 03MEDMissing Item 19 Financial Data: No Item 19 disclosure prevents verification of claimed $877K average revenue and $337K net income figures
- 04MINORHigh Investment-to-Net-Income Ratio: $232.5K-$552.5K investment against $337K average net income means 9-16 month payback at best, with significant downside risk
- 05MINORTiny Franchise System: 12 units is extremely small, limiting operational support infrastructure and indicating early-stage or struggling system
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius or Population based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Salt Lake County, Utah |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 43 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 37 hrs
- Training location
- Beaumont, California or Draper, Utah
- POS system
- Heartland
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Heartland
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
22 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Cookie Co. · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Cookie Co. franchise?
The total investment to open a Cookie Co. franchise ranges from $233K – $553K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Cookie Co. franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Cookie Co. FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Cookie Co.'s franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Cookie Co. has a charge-off rate of 50.0% across 11 loans, meaning 50.0% 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 Cookie Co. franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Cookie Co. has 12 total units in the United States, including 8 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 11 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Cookie Co. a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Cookie Co. as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 75 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. 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.
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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.