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

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

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

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

The Sweat Shack vs Once Upon A Child

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both The Sweat Shack and Once Upon A Child are retail franchises. The Sweat Shack requires an investment of $288K – $564K while Once Upon A Child requires $356K – $486K. 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 The Sweat Shack C (Average) and Once Upon A Child A (Strongest tier).

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