Is Once Upon A Child or The Sweat Shack cheaper to open?

Once Upon A Child costs $355,700–$485,900 and The Sweat Shack costs $288,050–$564,000 to open (FDD Item 7). The Sweat Shack has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Once Upon A Child or The Sweat Shack?

FranchiseVerdict grades Once Upon A Child A and The Sweat Shack C, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Once Upon A Child vs The Sweat Shack

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Once Upon A Child and The Sweat Shack are retail franchises. Once Upon A Child requires an investment of $356K – $486K while The Sweat Shack requires $288K – $564K. Once Upon A Child discloses average revenue of $1.3M; The Sweat Shack does not report Item 19 data. Once Upon A Child has SBA lending data on file with a 3.6% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates Once Upon A Child A (Strongest tier) and The Sweat Shack C (Average).

Metric	Once Upon A Child	The Sweat Shack
Verdict Grade	AStrongest tierStrongest tier	CAverageAverage
Investment Range	$356K – $486K	$288K – $564K
Franchise Fee	$25K	$45K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	6.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.3M	N/AIncl. company outlets
SBA Charge-Off Rate	3.6% (228 loans)	Limited data
Total Units	441	3
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1993	2022
FDD Year	2026	2025