Auntie Anne's Franchise

Auntie Anne's, a Focus Brands franchise, has been franchising since 1989 — 1 years after the concept was founded in 1988 , currently with 1,900 total locations in the food & beverage sector, headquartered in PA. According to the 2024 FDD, the total initial investment ranges from $191K to $464K — a 143% spread between the low and high end that reflects how site size, market, and buildout scope change the capital requirement. This figure includes the franchise fee of $30K, equipment, leasehold improvements, and initial working capital through the ramp-up period.

Ongoing royalties run 6.0% of gross sales with an additional 1.0% national advertising fund contribution, bringing the combined ongoing cost to 7.0% of every dollar in sales. Critically, Auntie Anne's does disclose financial performance data in Item 19, a voluntary disclosure that only about a third of U.S. franchisors make. The reported average gross revenue per location is $600K, meaning the typical unit pays roughly $36K per year in royalty alone. Revenue is not profit — actual franchisee take-home depends on rent, labor, cost of goods, and local demand.

Network size has held steady year-over-year, which typically means new openings and closures are roughly offsetting — a stability pattern that can mask underlying churn. Before committing capital, triangulate this summary against the full FDD, a franchise attorney's review, and direct conversations with five or more current and former franchisees from Item 20.