Cookie PlugFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Cookie Plug franchise requires a total initial investment of $174K – $568K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $303K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $174K – $568K
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $303K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 42nd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 31
- 32nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-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
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
The system grew 56% year-over-year. Fast growth means demand, but can strain support.
29% cash-on-cash return. Within the 15-30% range most franchise investors consider acceptable.
Bottom line
- Total investment $174K – $568K including a $40K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $303K/year (median $299K), with an estimated 29% cash-on-cash return.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 10/100.
- System growing at 250.0% CAGR over 3 years with 31 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- BAA BRANDS, LLC
- Predecessor
- of BMF Brands LLC (see below)
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- WY
- HQ
- 821 E Virginia St, Evansville, IN 47711
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Affiliated brands
- What Up Dough
- BMF Brands
- Doughp Designs
- is BMF Brands
- Plug Walk
- Doughp Dealer
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Cookie Plug franchisees operate retail cookie shops or kiosks, preparing and selling fresh-baked cookies and related treats to walk-in customers. Day-to-day responsibilities include managing inventory, baking, customer service, staffing, point-of-sale operations, and local marketing to drive foot traffic and repeat business.
- CEO
- David Denker
- Headquarters
- IN
- Founded
- 2024
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 13
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $40K | |
| Training Expenses | $500 | $4K | |
| Equipment, Fixtures and Decor | $60K | $125K | |
| POS System, Hardware and Software | $2K | $6K | |
| Camera System | $2K | $3K | |
| Signs | $2K | $25K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $10K | $20K | |
| Real Estate Improvements | $25K | $225K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $2K | |
| Permits | $700 | $5K | |
| Lease Deposit | $0 | $8K | |
| Professional Fees | $5K | $15K | |
| Initial Order of Cookie Dough and Toppings | $7K | $10K | |
| Initial Order of Branded Apparel | $1K | $3K | |
| Initial Inventory | $4K | $11K | |
| Other Opening Costs | $1K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $25K | $58K | |
| Total initial investment | $174K | $568K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
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
$27K
9.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
7%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
15.1 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $174K – $568K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $58K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 3.4 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $700 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $303K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $299K
- Avg net income
- $108K
- Cash-on-cash
- 29.2%
- Based on Net Income / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Historical
- Sample size
- 8 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $226K→$645K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.8x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Cookie Plug Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 31
- Opened
- 25
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 14
- Turnover rate
- 45.2%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 90%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +55.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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
- Indiana
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 22
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage, rapidly expanding franchise with concerning going concern status, active litigation, and thin unit-level economics that require thorough validation with existing franchisees before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
4 case reference(s): 0 pending, 1 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 10 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates potential financial instability or undisclosed operational issues at corporate level
- 02HIGHTwo active litigation cases involving franchise law violations and corporate ownership disputes create legal uncertainty and reputational risk
- 03MEDHigh initial investment ($174K–$568K) paired with 7% royalty rate leaves limited margin for error; average net income of $108K yields only 35.6% net margin before accounting for rent, labor, and other overhead
- 04MINORRapid unit growth (55.6% YoY) on small base (31 units) suggests early-stage franchise with unproven unit economics and retention; high growth can mask underlying franchise satisfaction issues
- 05HIGHLitigation involving David Denker and alleged Michigan Franchise Investment Law violations suggest potential corporate compliance gaps that could expose franchisees to legal liability
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 | Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
4 case reference(s): 0 pending, 1 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- FOCUS POS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: FOCUS POS
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
31 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Cookie Plug · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Cookie Plug franchise?
The total investment to open a Cookie Plug franchise ranges from $174K – $568K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Cookie Plug franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Cookie Plug FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $303K. The median is $299K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Cookie Plug's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Cookie Plug (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 Plug franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Cookie Plug has 31 total units in the United States, including 8 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 25 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Cookie Plug a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Cookie Plug as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 10 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.
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.