Del's Popcorn ShopFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
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]. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $607K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $279K – $478K
- 54th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $607K
- 14th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 2
- 10th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Bottom line
- Total investment $279K – $478K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $607K/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 44/100.
- Revenue data based on only 2 reporting units. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- 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. Certified Public Accountants
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $66
- vs $68K prior year
Overview
About
Del's Popcorn Shop franchisees operate small-format snack retail locations specializing in popcorn products. Day-to-day operations include preparing and selling fresh popcorn, managing inventory, handling point-of-sale transactions, and maintaining store cleanliness. Franchisees are responsible for local marketing, staffing, and customer service in their protected territory.
- CEO
- Rachelle (“Shellie”) Jacobs
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 1
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.
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
$88K
14.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
21%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $279K – $478K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $8K – $57K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · 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 |
| Training fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $23K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 42.5% of rev |
At 42.5% total fee load, roughly $258K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $607K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Historic Financial Performance
- Sample size
- 2 units
- vs category median 28 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $478K→$665K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 6 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Del's Popcorn Shop Compares
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
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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. Certified Public Accountants
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 44 / 100 rating
- 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
- 04MINORMassive gap between average revenue ($606k) and investment range suggests highly variable unit economics
- 05MED6% royalty on undisclosed net income makes it impossible to model actual franchisee profitability
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Zip Codes |
| 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 | Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| 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
- On-site and off-site
- Time to open
- 10 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Toast, Inc.
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast, Inc.
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Del's Popcorn Shop · FDD (2023) PDF
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?
According to Item 19 of the Del's Popcorn Shop FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $607K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
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 A-grade franchise with a risk score of 44 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.