Doc PopcornFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Doc Popcorn franchise requires a total initial investment of $175K – $414K, including a $15K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $175K – $414K
- 18th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 17th pct Retail
- Units
- 79
- 23rd pct Retail
- SBA default
- 50.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail 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 $175K – $414K including a $15K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 81/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Doc Popcorn Franchising L.L.C.
- Parent company
- J & J Snack Foods Corp.
- Predecessor
- Doc Popcorn Development
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- OK
- HQ
- 910 South 5th Street, Paducah, Kentucky 42003
- Auditor
- Blythe CPAs + Advisors
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $902K
- vs $911K prior year
Affiliated brands
- DP
- Doc Popcorn L
- The ICEE Company
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate small-format popcorn retail locations, typically in high-traffic venues (malls, entertainment districts, events). Daily operations include product preparation, inventory management, customer service, and point-of-sale transactions with minimal staffing requirements.
- CEO
- Daniel Fachner
- Headquarters
- KY
- Founded
- 2009
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 27
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 24 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (PopKiosk) | $15K | $15K | |
| Training Expenses (PopKiosk) | $1K | $4K | |
| Real Estate Lease (PopKiosk) | $1K | $32K | |
| Equipment/Decor (PopKiosk) | $23K | $70K | |
| Construction (PopKiosk) | $100K | $130K | |
| Architect's Fees (PopKiosk) | $0 | $14K | |
| Opening Inventory (PopKiosk) | $5K | $11K | |
| Signage (PopKiosk) | $0 | $3K | |
| Computer System (PopKiosk) | $3K | $6K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs (PopKiosk) | $3K | $13K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (PopKiosk) | $5K | $40K | |
| Payroll Expenses (PopKiosk) | $20K | $40K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (PopShop) | $15K | $15K | |
| Training Expenses (PopShop) | $1K | $4K | |
| Real Estate Lease (PopShop) | $1K | $32K | |
| Equipment/Decor (PopShop) | $65K | $100K | |
| Construction (PopShop) | $64K | $130K | |
| Architect's Fees (PopShop) | $0 | $14K | |
| Opening Inventory (PopShop) | $5K | $9K | |
| Signage (PopShop) | $4K | $12K | |
| Total initial investment | $360K | $790K |
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $175K – $414K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $65 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How Doc Popcorn Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 79
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Turnover rate
- 1.3%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +3.9%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +8.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 3
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 27 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.
27
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 8 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 8
- Loan volume
- $951K
- Median loan
- $130K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 50.0%
- 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)
- 50.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 4
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Doc Popcorn's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 4 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 5-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Doc Popcorn presents caution-level risk due to stagnant growth, missing financial disclosure, unprotected territories, and unclear path to profitability despite reasonable franchise fees.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $213,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Blythe CPAs + Advisors
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 81 / 100 rating
- 01MINORMinimal unit growth of 3.9% YoY suggests stagnating system expansion and weak recruitment
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed in Item 19 prevents realistic ROI modeling and earnings validation
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other Doc Popcorn franchisees in same market
- 04MINORWide investment range ($175K-$413K) lacks clarity on what drives cost variation and total investment requirements
- 05MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), creating renewal uncertainty and reinvestment pressure
- 06MED6% royalty combined with undisclosed profitability makes franchise economics unverifiable
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Oklahoma |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 36 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Doc Popcorn · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Doc Popcorn franchise?
The total investment to open a Doc Popcorn franchise ranges from $175K – $414K, with an initial franchise fee of $15K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Doc Popcorn franchise owners earn?
Doc Popcorn 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 Doc Popcorn's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Doc Popcorn (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 Doc Popcorn franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Doc Popcorn has 79 total units in the United States, including 73 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Doc Popcorn a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Doc Popcorn as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 81 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.
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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.