Kilwin's Chocolates Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Kilwin's Chocolates franchise requires a total initial investment of $513K – $880K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $933K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 8.3% charge-off rate across 25 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $513K – $880K
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $933K
- Outlet subset4th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 172
- 34th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 8.3%
- % 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 $513K – $880K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $933K/year (median $802K) (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 70/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 8.3% across 25 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 15.1% CAGR over 3 years with 172 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc.
- Parent company
- Kilwins MidCo LLC / Kilwins TopCo LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLC (LLCP)
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Brian Britton
- Incorporated in
- Michigan
- HQ
- 1050 Bay View Road, Petoskey, Michigan 49770
- Franchisor revenue
- $19.8M
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
Franchisor of Kilwins Full Line Chocolates, Confectionery & Ice Cream Stores and Kilwins Ice Cream & Chocolate Shops, selling handcrafted chocolates, original recipe ice cream, fudge, and other confections.
- CEO
- Brian Britton
- Headquarters
- Michigan
- Founded
- 1981
- FDD year
- 2025
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 40% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $8K | $75K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $465K | $765K |
| Total initial investment | $513K | $880K |
Source: Kilwin's Chocolates 2025 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
- $513K – $880K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $8K – $75K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $200 |
| Training fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $30K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 47% below the full-service restaurants norm.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 Kilwin's Chocolates 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
$738K
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 Kilwin's Chocolates 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Avg gross sales
- $933K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $802K
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 gross sales average/median by state cohort, plus cost-of-sales %, payroll %, and per-transaction value
- Sample size
- 128 outlets
- vs category median 18 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $260K→$2.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
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 $933K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.3x. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Fee burden
5.0% royalty + 3.0% ad fund.
Operator retention
System expanding at 15.1% CAGR over 3 years across 172 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 Kilwin's Chocolates Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 172
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +15.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +15.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 9
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
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
- 25
- Loan volume
- $6.5M
- Median loan
- $211K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 8.3%
- 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
- 13
- Defaults
- 2
- Typical loan rate
- 5.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 7222
- Jobs supported
- 263
- 4.0 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 44%
- top lender's share
Vintage analysis
Kilwin's Chocolates charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Kilwin's Chocolates franchisees
Showing 3 of 13 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.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Kilwin's Chocolates's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 8 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 12-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 8.3% — 48% 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)
Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc. v. Erik Berakovich et al. (Circuit Court for Emmet County, Michigan, Case No. 11-3196-CZ) - franchisor sued former franchisees/related party for operating a competing business at a former Kilwins location and covenant-not-to-compete violations; case settled in 2013 with defendants paying $180,000 and agreeing franchise agreements were properly terminated.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Michigan |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Kilwins Chocolates Franchise, Inc. v. Erik Berakovich et al. (Circuit Court for Emmet County, Michigan, Case No. 11-3196-CZ) - franchisor sued former franchisees/related party for operating a competing business at a former Kilwins location and covenant-not-to-compete violations; case settled in 2013 with defendants paying $180,000 and agreeing franchise agreements were properly terminated.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 43 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 157 hrs
- Training location
- Petoskey, Michigan (headquarters) and franchisee's Store
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisor approval of franchisee-identified site; Search Area Addendum with search area/right of first refusal
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Kilwins Point of Sale (POS) System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Kilwins Point of Sale (POS) System
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Kilwin's Chocolates franchise?
The total investment to open a Kilwin's Chocolates franchise ranges from $513K – $880K, 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 Kilwin's Chocolates franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Kilwin's Chocolates FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $933K. The median is $802K. Important context: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Kilwin's Chocolates 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 Kilwin's Chocolates FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Kilwin's Chocolates's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Kilwin's Chocolates has a charge-off rate of 8.3% across 25 loans, meaning 8.3% 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 Kilwin's Chocolates franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Kilwin's Chocolates has 172 total units in the United States, including 168 franchised units and 4 company-owned units.
Is Kilwin's Chocolates a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Kilwin's Chocolates as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 70 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.