The Pretzel Twister
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.
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 57/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 13 loans (below the industry average).
- 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
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one The Pretzel Twister unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
36%
In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)
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.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
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.
Score breakdown · what drove the 57 / 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
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
26 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
The Pretzel Twister · FDD (2025) PDF