Dunkin' Franchise

Dunkin', a Inspire Brands franchise, has been franchising since 1955 - 5 years after the concept was founded in 1950 , currently with 9,579 total locations in the food & beverage sector, headquartered in MA. According to the 2024 FDD, the total initial investment ranges from $229K to $1.7M, with the 637% low-to-high spread driven mainly by site size, market, and how extensive the buildout runs. That total bundles the franchise fee of $40K together with equipment, leasehold buildout, and the working capital needed to get through ramp-up.

Royalty payments here are set at 5.9% of gross sales with an additional 5.0% national advertising fund contribution, bringing the combined ongoing cost to 10.9% of every dollar in sales. Worth noting: Dunkin' is among the roughly one-third of U.S. franchisors that voluntarily disclose financial performance data in Item 19. The reported average gross revenue per location is $1.2M, meaning the typical unit pays roughly $71K per year in royalty alone. Revenue is not profit, actual franchisee take-home depends on rent, labor, cost of goods, and local demand.

Network momentum is currently positive: Dunkin' added units at a 1.6% net rate year-over-year (350 openings, 200 closures). Growing networks tend to signal healthy unit economics for prospective operators, though it is worth distinguishing organic demand from an aggressive franchise-sales push.