Cookie Co. Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $233K – $553K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 11 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Cookie Co. is a quick-service franchise selling gourmet cookies in rotating weekly flavors. Franchisees run the shops, managing baking, staffing, and counter and takeout service.
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]. The 2023 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
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
- $233K – $553K
- 32nd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only1 outlet
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 90th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 12
- 41st pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
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 $233K – $553K including a $35K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 46/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative, pipeline stalled: 17 agreements signed but not yet open against 12 open outlets (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
- Cookie Co. Franchising, LLC
- 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
- $161K
- vs $1.0M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Elise Thomas
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 6
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 19% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $233K – $553K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $10K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
| Inventory (initial) | $6K – $12K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Cookie Co. 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 Cookie Co. 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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single outlet - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 1 outlet
- vs category median 19 · small
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2023
- Disclosed in the 2023 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 781 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
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 8.0% (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.
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 Cookie Co. 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 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 12
- Opened
- 8
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 67%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Signed, not yet open
- 17
- 1.42 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 17
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 6 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
6
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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
- Limited · 11 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 11 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 11 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 11 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 9.4%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 10.6%
- n=3,755 loans
- Jobs supported
- 145
- 7.0 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 78%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 100% went to startups / new businesses, 0% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, franchised businesses charge off at 10.6% vs 8.9% for independents — franchising is associated with 19% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Cookie Co. franchisees
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Cookie Co. from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 16.1%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 68%
- Avg interest rate
- 9.39%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $332K
- Lender concentration
- 77.8%
- Job velocity
- 7.0 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 7.0%
- NAICS 722515
- Jobs supported
- 145
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 78% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 7 | $1.7M | 100.0% |
| 2 | Cadence Bank | 1 | $150K | N/A |
| 3 | TBK Bank, SSB | 1 | $255K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CACalifornia | 5 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 2 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
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)
FY2022 total revenue of $161,245 disclosed in Item 8 narrative; $33,898 (21%) was rebates from franchisee purchases. Audited financial statements are in Exhibit D, which is not present in this text; balance-sheet figures (net worth, assets, liabilities, net income) and auditor name could not be extracted.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- 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 46 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORStagnant Unit Count: Only 12 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests minimal system expansion and potential market saturation or performance issues
- 02MINORHigh 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
- 03MINORTiny 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
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 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 | No |
| Governing law | UT |
| 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
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- 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
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?
Item 19 of the Cookie Co. 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 Cookie Co.?
Cookie Co. is franchised by Cookie Co. Franchising, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2023 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Cookie Co. 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 Cookie Co. FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Cookie Co.'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Cookie Co. (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
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. 8 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Cookie Co. a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Cookie Co. as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 46 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Cookie Co., you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.