Question 1

Is Circle K or Once Upon A Child cheaper to open?

Accepted Answer

Circle K costs $1,463,500–$2,744,650 and Once Upon A Child costs $355,700–$485,900 to open (FDD Item 7). Once Upon A Child has the lower entry cost.

Question 2

Which earns more, Circle K or Once Upon A Child?

Accepted Answer

Circle K reports $1,386,179 average annual unit revenue vs $1,268,984 for Once Upon A Child (FDD Item 19). Circle K is higher.

Question 3

Which is safer, Circle K or Once Upon A Child?

Accepted Answer

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 6.7% for Circle K and 3.6% for Once Upon A Child. Lower is safer, so Once Upon A Child has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Question 4

Which is the better franchise, Circle K or Once Upon A Child?

Accepted Answer

FranchiseVerdict grades Circle K B and Once Upon A Child A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Metric	Circle K	Once Upon A Child
Verdict Grade	BAbove averageAbove average	AStrongest tierStrongest tier
Investment Range	$1.5M – $2.7M	$356K – $486K
Franchise Fee	$25K	$25K
Royalty Rate	3.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.4M	$1.3M
SBA Charge-Off Rate	6.7% (80 loans)	3.6% (228 loans)
Total Units	6,063	441
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1995	1993
FDD Year	2024	2026

Circle K vs Once Upon A Child