The Mini Donut Company Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Mini Donut Company is a dessert franchise serving fresh-made mini donuts with toppings. Franchisees run the shops and kiosks, managing production, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Mini Donut Company franchise requires a total initial investment of $69K – $126K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $69K – $126K
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 11th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 4
- 19th 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 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 $69K – $126K including a $30K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThe provided page set (p185-p191) contains only Franchise Agreement exhibits (Digital Media Assignment, ACH Authorization Form/Exhibit 7, General Release/Exhibit 8, and Multi-Unit Development Agreement/Exhibit F cover) for The Mini Donut Company FDD (Mini Donut Franchising LLC), dated April 19, 2025. No audited financial statements, balance sheet, income statement, or Independent Auditor's Report are present in these images, so all financial figures are null.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 38/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports company owned only rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Mini Donut Franchising LLC
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Matt Whiffen
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- California
- HQ
- 2865 State Street, San Diego, California 92103
- Auditor
- Class Advisors GP
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Matt Whiffen
- Headquarters
- California
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 85% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $13K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $27K | $66K |
| Total initial investment | $69K | $126K |
Source: The Mini Donut Company 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
- $69K – $126K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $13K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $100 |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $5K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
The Mini Donut Company did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Mini Donut Company unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
101%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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
The provided page set (p185-p191) contains only Franchise Agreement exhibits (Digital Media Assignment, ACH Authorization Form/Exhibit 7, General Release/Exhibit 8, and Multi-Unit Development Agreement/Exhibit F cover) for The Mini Donut Company FDD (Mini Donut Franchising LLC), dated April 19, 2025. No audited financial statements, balance sheet, income statement, or Independent Auditor's Report are present in these images, so all financial figures are null.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Item 19 type
- company owned only
- Sample size
- 3
- vs category median 20 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $385K→$530K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 782 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 6.0% — below the Quick-Service Restaurants average of 7.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports company owned only rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 averages
How The Mini Donut Company Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4
- 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
- 25.0%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 25.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 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.
2
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
This is a severely underdeveloped franchise system with going concern doubts, zero financial transparency, minimal unit count, and unprotected territory — avoid unless current franchisees demonstrate exceptional profitability.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Class Advisors GP
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 38 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates potential financial viability issues or regulatory concerns with the franchisor
- 02MINOROnly 4 existing units with unknown growth trajectory — extremely small and stagnant system suggests failed expansion or market rejection
- 03MINORUnprotected territory — franchisees face direct competition from other franchisees and brand cannibalization risk
- 04MINORHigh franchise fee ($29,900) relative to total investment and unknown profitability — difficult payback period to justify
- 05MINOR5% royalty on gross sales (not net) — franchisee pays royalties even during loss-making periods
- 06MINORMinimal franchisee base (4 units) creates insufficient validation sample and liquidity risk for resale
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% 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 | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Territory population | 30,000 |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | San Diego County, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 7 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 51 hrs
- Training location
- San Diego, California
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 10 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Mini Donut Company franchise?
The total investment to open a The Mini Donut Company franchise ranges from $69K – $126K, 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 The Mini Donut Company franchise owners earn?
The Mini Donut Company 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 Item 19 in the The Mini Donut Company 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 The Mini Donut Company FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is The Mini Donut Company's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Mini Donut Company (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 The Mini Donut Company franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Mini Donut Company has 4 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 4 company-owned units.
Is The Mini Donut Company a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Mini Donut Company as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 38 out of 100 (higher is better), 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent The Mini Donut Company, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Quick-Service Restaurants category
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.