Dunkin Donuts Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Dunkin Donuts franchise requires a total initial investment of $532K – $1.8M, including a $40K – $90K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.9% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.4M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 7.5% charge-off rate across 1,341 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $532K – $1.8M
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- 6th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.9%
- 25th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 8,780
- 38th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 7.5%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-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 $532K – $1.8M including a $40K franchise fee, 5.9% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.4M/year (median $1.3M).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 76/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 7.5% across 1341 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- LEGAL16 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3, higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Dunkin' Donuts Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- Dunkin' Brands, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Inspire Brands, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- Three Glenlake Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30328
- Auditor
- KPMG LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.4B
- vs $1.4B prior year
Overview
About
Franchisor of Dunkin' restaurants featuring donuts, coffee, espresso, bagels, muffins, croissants, other bakery items, breakfast sandwiches, and other food and beverage products, including Combo Restaurants co-branded with Baskin-Robbins and Multi-Brand Locations with Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John's, and Sonic
- Headquarters
- Georgia
- FDD year
- 2026
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about average for a full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $0 | $108K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $492K | $1.7M |
| Total initial investment | $532K | $1.8M |
Source: Dunkin Donuts 2026 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
- $532K – $1.8M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $108K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $90K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.9%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 5.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.9% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Inventory (initial) | $8K – $20K |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 23% below the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Dunkin Donuts until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$1.2M
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Dunkin Donuts 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 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.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.3M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical AUV (Gross Sales) by cohort
- Sample size
- 7,010 outlets
- vs category median 18 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $65K→$6.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $718K→$2.2M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
Compared against 802 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.4M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.2x.
Fee burden
5.9% royalty + 5.0% ad fund.
Operator retention
System expanding at 8.1% CAGR over 3 years across 8,780 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Dunkin Donuts Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 8,780
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 36
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +8.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +8.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 1,341
- Loan volume
- $782.5M
- Median loan
- $450K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 7.5%
- 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)
- 91.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 121
- Defaults
- 75
- Typical loan rate
- 5.6%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 7222
- Jobs supported
- 12,687
- 2.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 21%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Vintage analysis
Dunkin Donuts charge-off rate by loan vintage
Shaded area: recent vintages with few resolved loans; rates may change as loans mature.
Top lenders financing Dunkin Donuts franchisees
Showing 3 of 121 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 7.5% — 53% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
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)
Item 3 discloses 4 pending cases (Minda's Donuts wrongful-termination suit in NH; Dunkin'/BR v. Shree Krishna Donuts trademark/breach counterclaim in NJ; multiple related Phoenix Food (Pvt) Ltd. Pakistan suits over a terminated master development agreement; Fahrad Salari Lak bakery-supply dispute in PA dating to 2011), 3 arbitration/IP matters commenced by Dunkin' against franchisees/infringers, and numerous concluded matters (Shetty discrimination suit, Airport Mart breach/fraud suit, Coffee & Brands Sweden AB arbitration, Newburyport Donuts arbitration, California and New York AG actions re no-poaching provisions and data-breach notification respectively, Ram Donuts trademark/breach litigation settled for $110,000). No bankruptcy disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · KPMG LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.9% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 20 years |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 60 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Litigation count | 16 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 discloses 4 pending cases (Minda's Donuts wrongful-termination suit in NH; Dunkin'/BR v. Shree Krishna Donuts trademark/breach counterclaim in NJ; multiple related Phoenix Food (Pvt) Ltd. Pakistan suits over a terminated master development agreement; Fahrad Salari Lak bakery-supply dispute in PA dating to 2011), 3 arbitration/IP matters commenced by Dunkin' against franchisees/infringers, and numerous concluded matters (Shetty discrimination suit, Airport Mart breach/fraud suit, Coffee & Brands Sweden AB arbitration, Newburyport Donuts arbitration, California and New York AG actions re no-poaching provisions and data-breach notification respectively, Ram Donuts trademark/breach litigation settled for $110,000). No bankruptcy disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 71 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 215 hrs
- Training location
- Certified Host Central Manufacturing Location (CML), Training Restaurant, or other designated Dunkin' Restaurant, plus online/virtual training
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisor_approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Dunkin Donuts franchise?
The total investment to open a Dunkin Donuts franchise ranges from $532K – $1.8M, 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 Dunkin Donuts franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Dunkin Donuts FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.4M. The median is $1.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Dunkin Donuts 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 Dunkin Donuts FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Dunkin Donuts's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Dunkin Donuts has a charge-off rate of 7.5% across 1,341 loans, meaning 7.5% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Dunkin Donuts franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Dunkin Donuts has 8,780 total units in the United States, including 8,744 franchised units and 36 company-owned units.
Is Dunkin Donuts a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Dunkin Donuts as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 76 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
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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.