Del's Popcorn Shop Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $279K – $478K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
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 on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below 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: partial✓ 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 scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $279K – $478K
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only2 outlets
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th 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 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 $279K – $478K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 34/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (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
- 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 22% 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%
- 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 net sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of net 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
No Item 19 revenue figure for Del's Popcorn Shop 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 Del's Popcorn Shop 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 only 2 outlets
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 2 outlets
- vs category median 19 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $548K→$665KCited, not corroborated — printed on page 52 of the 2023 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- 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 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 42.5% — above the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.5%.
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 Del's Popcorn Shop 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
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- 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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
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)
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 no prior-year revenue is shown.
ⓘ 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 34 / 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
- 03MED6% 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 territory |
| 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?
Item 19 of the Del's Popcorn Shop FDD discloses outlet figures from $548K to $665K 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 Del's Popcorn Shop?
Del's Popcorn Shop is franchised by Del's Popcorn Shop Development, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2023 filing.
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.
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 34 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?
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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.