Del's Popcorn Shop Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Del's Popcorn Shop is a snack retail franchise selling fresh flavored popcorn and confections. Franchisees run the shops, managing production, inventory, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Del's Popcorn Shop franchise requires a total initial investment of $279K – $478K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $279K – $478K
- 45th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned onlyn=2
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 46th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 2
- 9th 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 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
- COSTTotal investment $279K – $478K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFigures from the audited financial statements of Del's Popcorn Shop Development, LLC (the franchisor, an Illinois LLC taxed as an S corp), for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. Single entity; no parent/guarantor presented. Total Revenue of $68,618 = royalty fees $68,568 + sale of proprietary merchandise $50 (franchise/advertising/brand development fees were $0). other_revenue ($50) is sale of proprietary merchandise. Balance sheet reconciles: total assets $147,751 = total liabilities $0 + total members' equity $147,751. Net loss $(13,715). Statements presented in whole US dollars (no scaling). Prior-year (2021) revenue not separately presented in this 2022 statement (only members' equity beginning-of-year of $161,466 shown), so revenue_yr2 is null.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 35/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports affiliate outlet revenue rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Del's Popcorn Shop Development, LLC
- CEO title
- Managing Member
- Rachelle (Shellie) Jacobs
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 3013 Lindbergh Boulevard, Suite B, Springfield, Illinois 62704
- Auditor
- LMHN, Ltd.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $69K
- vs $68K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Rachelle (Shellie) Jacobs
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 42% 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 | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $8K | $57K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $241K | $391K |
| Total initial investment | $279K | $478K |
Source: Del's Popcorn Shop 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
- $279K – $478K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $8K – $57K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 42.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $35 |
| Transfer fee | $23K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $24K – $27K |
| Total fee load | 42.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Del's Popcorn Shop did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Del's Popcorn Shop unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
26%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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
Figures from the audited financial statements of Del's Popcorn Shop Development, LLC (the franchisor, an Illinois LLC taxed as an S corp), for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. Single entity; no parent/guarantor presented. Total Revenue of $68,618 = royalty fees $68,568 + sale of proprietary merchandise $50 (franchise/advertising/brand development fees were $0). other_revenue ($50) is sale of proprietary merchandise. Balance sheet reconciles: total assets $147,751 = total liabilities $0 + total members' equity $147,751. Net loss $(13,715). Statements presented in whole US dollars (no scaling). Prior-year (2021) revenue not separately presented in this 2022 statement (only members' equity beginning-of-year of $161,466 shown), so revenue_yr2 is null.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a sample of only 2
- Item 19 type
- affiliate outlet revenue
- Sample size
- 2
- vs category median 20 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $478K→$665K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- 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 782 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 42.5% — above the Quick-Service Restaurants average of 7.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports affiliate outlet revenue rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 averages
How Del's Popcorn Shop Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state 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.
1
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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
Early-stage franchise with only 2 units, undisclosed profitability, and franchisor going concern issues presents significant unproven-model risk despite protected territory.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · LMHN, Ltd.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 35 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 2 units in system with unknown growth trajectory indicates nascent/stagnant franchise model
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 prevents ROI validation against $279k-$478k investment
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests financial instability or structural concerns with franchisor
- 04MED6% royalty on undisclosed net income makes it impossible to model actual franchisee profitability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 42.5% 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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 75,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Franchisor's headquarters (Springfield, IL) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | IL |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 76 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 92 hrs
- Training location
- Springfield, IL (affiliate-owned Del's Popcorn Shop location)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee finds site subject to franchisor approval within 120 days of signing Franchise Agreement
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast, Inc.
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast, Inc.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Del's Popcorn Shop franchise?
The total investment to open a Del's Popcorn Shop franchise ranges from $279K – $478K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Del's Popcorn Shop franchise owners earn?
Del's Popcorn Shop does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Del's Popcorn Shop 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 Del's Popcorn Shop FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Del's Popcorn Shop's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Del's Popcorn Shop (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 Del's Popcorn Shop franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Del's Popcorn Shop has 2 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 2 company-owned units.
Is Del's Popcorn Shop a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Del's Popcorn Shop as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 35 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.