The Pretzel TwisterFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Pretzel Twister franchise requires a total initial investment of $122K – $339K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $122K – $339K
- 13th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 21
- 47th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants 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
Franchising since 1993. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $122K – $339K including a $25K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 60/100.
- System contracting at -12.5% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Mr. Twister Pretzels, Inc.
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Bobby Wang
- CEO experience
- 1997 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 3705 Mason Road, New Hill, NC 27562
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $483K
- vs $465K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Franchisees operate quick-service pretzel shops selling twisted pretzels, dipping sauces, and beverages. Day-to-day operations include dough preparation, pretzel twisting and baking, customer service at counter/POS, inventory management, and staff scheduling—typically requiring 50-60 hour owner involvement per week.
- CEO
- Bobby Wang
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 1992
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $4K | $12K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $93K | $302K |
| Total initial investment | $122K | $339K |
Source: The Pretzel Twister 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
- $122K – $339K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $4K – $12K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $9K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How The Pretzel Twister Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 21
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -4.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -12.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 9.5%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 95.5%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 4.8%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 5
- Loan volume
- $1.0M
- Median loan
- $100K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 81.8%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into The Pretzel Twister's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 8 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 9-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Contracting system with undisclosed financials and going concern uncertainty presents elevated risk; proceed only after extensive franchisee validation.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Disclosure Document
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 60 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNegative unit growth: -4.5% YoY indicates system contraction and potential market saturation or operational challenges
- 02MINORNo financial disclosure: Franchisor refuses to provide Item 19 (average revenue/net income), making ROI analysis impossible
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False: Suggests franchisor may have disclosed financial instability or operational concerns to the FTC
- 04MINORHigh investment-to-fee ratio: $121.7K–$338.8K investment for a $25K fee indicates thin margins and slow payback periods
- 05MEDSmall system size: Only 21 units makes the franchise vulnerable to failure; limited data on unit economics and franchisee success
- 06MINOR6% royalty burden: On top of operational costs for a lower-margin food business (pretzel shops typically run 15-30% net margins)
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 |
| Territory type | Specific location or shopping mall |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 6 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Disclosure Document
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 18 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and franchisor location
- Ongoing training
- Required
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
26 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Pretzel Twister · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Pretzel Twister franchise?
The total investment to open a The Pretzel Twister franchise ranges from $122K – $339K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Pretzel Twister franchise owners earn?
The Pretzel Twister 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 The Pretzel Twister's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Pretzel Twister (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 Pretzel Twister franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Pretzel Twister has 21 total units in the United States, including 21 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is The Pretzel Twister a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Pretzel Twister as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 60 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.