Cookie Cutters Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Cookie Cutters franchise requires a total initial investment of $138K – $390K, including a $10K – $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $314K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 14.3% charge-off rate across 24 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $138K – $390K
- 11th pct Personal Care…
- Avg gross sales
- $314K
- 3rd pct Personal Care…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 3rd pct Personal Care…
- Units
- 120
- 42nd pct Personal Care…
- SBA charge-off
- 14.3%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Personal Care & Beauty · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Personal Care & Beauty avg · 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
- Total investment $138K – $390K including a $10K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $314K/year (median $304K).
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 63/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 14.3% across 24 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Cookie Cutters Franchising Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Neal Courtney
- Incorporated in
- Utah
- HQ
- 8 East Broadway, Suite 201, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Overview
About
Children's hair salons providing haircuts, shampoos, birthday parties and related products/services for children ages 12 and under, featuring entertainment centers, video games, and themed decor.
- CEO
- Neal Courtney
- Headquarters
- Utah
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 28
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 50% below the typical personal care & beauty franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $10K | $10K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $45K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $113K | $335K |
| Total initial investment | $138K | $390K |
Source: Cookie Cutters 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
- $138K – $390K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $3K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $5K |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 59% below the personal care & beauty norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
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
$75K
24.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
26%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.9 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $314K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $304K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Table 1 - Sales by tier (average, median, high, low) for 108 franchised locations operating full year 2025; Table 2 - 1 company-owned location
- Sample size
- 108 units
- vs category median 33 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $60K→$680K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $175K→$478K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2026
- Fiscal year the figures cover
Compared against 200 Personal Care & Beauty brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $314K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.2x.
Fee burden
5.0% royalty + 1.0% ad fund — lower than the category average.
Operator retention
System expanding at 6.4% CAGR over 3 years across 120 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Personal Care & Beauty averages
How Cookie Cutters Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 120
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.9%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 7%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +6.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +6.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 5
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 2
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 28 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.
28
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
- 24
- Loan volume
- $3.8M
- Median loan
- $140K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 14.3%
- 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)
- 85.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 3
- Typical loan rate
- 6.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 8121
- Jobs supported
- 267
- 7.1 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 54%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Top lenders financing Cookie Cutters franchisees
Showing 3 of 10 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.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 14.3% — 11% 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
Litigation (Item 3)
Sugar Buns, LLC v. Chip Partners, LLC, Neal Courtney, Sean Wilson and Sarah Wilson (Utah Business and Chancery Court, filed May 2025) - franchisee of an unrelated cookie brand (Chip) alleged unauthorized financial performance representations; settled August 2025, dismissed with prejudice September 2025.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
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: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% 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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| 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 | Utah |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Sugar Buns, LLC v. Chip Partners, LLC, Neal Courtney, Sean Wilson and Sarah Wilson (Utah Business and Chancery Court, filed May 2025) - franchisee of an unrelated cookie brand (Chip) alleged unauthorized financial performance representations; settled August 2025, dismissed with prejudice September 2025.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 43 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 17 hrs
- Training location
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 7 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee (with franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Shortcuts
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Shortcuts
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Cookie Cutters franchise?
The total investment to open a Cookie Cutters franchise ranges from $138K – $390K, with an initial franchise fee of $10K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Cookie Cutters franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Cookie Cutters FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $314K. The median is $304K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Cookie Cutters's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Cookie Cutters has a charge-off rate of 14.3% across 24 loans, meaning 14.3% 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 Cutters franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Cookie Cutters has 120 total units in the United States, including 117 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Cookie Cutters a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Cookie Cutters as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 63 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
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.