With over 2,000 stores worldwide, Auntie Anne’s is undeniably one of the most famous pretzels franchises. With annual sales of $343,135 on average in the US, it’s a rather small business compared to other restaurant franchises.
But the cost is also very low too: as a franchisee it will cost you on average (only) $229,692 to start a new Auntie Anne’s franchise on average.
So is this really worth it? How much profits can you really make with this business? Are Auntie Anne’s franchises good investments for a franchisee? Let’s find out!
Auntie Anne’s franchises: revenues, fees & profits
| Franchise fee | $35,500 |
| Royalty fee | 7.0% |
| Marketing fee | 2.0% |
| Investment (mid-point) | $229,692 |
| Average annual sales | $343,135 |
| Investment to sales ratio | 1.5x |
| Investment payback* | 5.6 years (average) |
| Minimum net worth | $300,000 |
| Minimum liquid capital | $100,000 |
🔎 How does Auntie Anne’s compare vs. other franchises? Check the ranking
What is Auntie Anne’s?
Auntie Anne’s is an American chain of pretzel shops with over 2,000 stores in the US and 30 other countries. It serves freshly baked soft pretzels, dips, and other related foods and beverages.
A subsidiary of Focus Brands Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the chain was founded in 1988 in Pennsylvania when Anne F. Beiler (Auntie Anne) and her husband bought a stand in a Pennsylvania farmer’s market.
Auntie Anne’s began franchising in 1989, with its first international location opening in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1995.
Auntie Anne’s franchise: pros and cons
Operating an Auntie Anne’s franchise has its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
- Comprehensive Training: The franchisor offers extensive training to franchisees and their employees consisting of 48 hours of classroom training and 24 to 64 hours of on-the-job training. The training includes operations training, marketing, HR, general business practices, and pretzel rolling skills. The franchisor trains franchisees at the same level to ensure a consistent and uniform brand.
- Unique and evolving products: To differentiate itself from its competitors, the brand makes freshly hand-rolled pretzels from scratch on the site and sells them within 30 minutes of being baked. The brand also keeps innovating and creating new products to keep up with industry trends and customer tastes.
- Solid franchise support: To help new franchisees grow and become profitable, Auntie Anne offers them maximum support. Franchisees get support in various fields, such as food and beverage operations, administration, and finance.
- Strong Brand Recognition: Auntie Anne’s brand has stores in all 50 states of the US and globally. In addition, its restaurants are located in high-traffic places such as malls, airports, train stations, and universities.
- Strategic marketing and advertising: The franchisor offers its franchises superb support in research and innovation, as well as professional marketing and promotional campaigns.
- Growth opportunity: The Auntie Anne’s franchise has steadily grown in the last 30 years, currently having over 2,000 stores globally. Franchisees can join a fast-growing brand and easily penetrate new markets. Currently, the brand has opportunities for expansion in locations such as Bristol, Central London, and Scotland.
- Central supply chain: To make sure franchisees enjoy controlled and regulated supplies, the franchisor ensures food products, packaging, cleaning products, and small wares are ordered online from one supply chain at competitive commercial rates.
Cons
- No financial assistance: Auntie Anne’s does not offer any direct or indirect financing to its franchisees for trade fixtures, opening inventory, or any other purpose. It also does not guarantee them any lease, grant, or note.
- No territory protection: The franchisor does not offer franchisees any exclusive territory protection. It only grants franchisees the right to manufacture and sell the franchisor’s products from a specific shop and location approved by the franchisor.
- No absentee ownership: Auntie Anne’s is not a good option for investors looking for absentee business management. Franchisees must be involved or appoint a representative to undertake decision-making and daily restaurant operations.
How much does a Auntie Anne’s franchise cost?
You would need to invest around $229,692 to open a Auntie Anne’s franchise.
This investment amount is an average that can vary based on the type of restaurant. For example, you would pay twice as much for a Auntie Anne’s shop vs. a concession shop:
In addition to the initial franchise fee ($10,500-$35,500), the investment covers a number of startup costs such as:
- Build costs: construction (truck or trailer in case of concession shop), permitting, millwork, equipment, furniture, menu board, graphics, interior signage, exterior signage, computer system, architect/engineer, legal and accounting fees, etc.
- Operating expenses: opening inventory, miscellaneous opening costs, insurance, travel & living expenses while training, additional funds for 3 months as working capital, etc.
How much can you make with a Auntie Anne’s franchise?
On average, an Auntie Anne’s franchise makes $343,135 in sales per year. This is the weighted average of median sales for both enclosed mall franchises (622) and outlet center franchises (94).
How profitable is a Auntie Anne’s franchise?
On average, an Auntie Anne’s franchise makes $54,960 in profits per year. That means you may expect a 16% adjusted EBITDA margin.
Does this mean you can keep 16% of your sales? No, rather, you may need to deduct taxes, debt interest expenses, and other costs.
The 16% adjusted EBITDA margin is very low compared to similar franchises as per our intelligence (~25-27% industry average for franchise restaurants). This is mainly due to expensive rent costs respective to sales (21% of sales vs ~8% industry average).
Note that to calculate this number we had to use industry benchmark numbers for COGS (25% sales) and labor costs (29%). Indeed, unfortunately, Auntie Anne’s doesn’t provide any financial information regarding costs.
| Profit-and-loss | Amount ($) | As % of sales |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | $343,135 | 100% |
| COGS | $(85,784) | 25.0%* |
| Labor | $(99,509) | 29.0%* |
| Rent | $(72,000) | 21.0% |
| Royalty + marketing fees | $(30,882) | 9.0% |
| Adjusted EBITDA | $54,960 | ~16% |
Is Auntie Anne’s franchise a good investment?
Even though the annual profits are rather low vs. other franchises ($54,960 adj. EBITDA margin, ~16% sales), Auntie Anne’s is a good investment from a financial standpoint.
Why? Simply because its startup costs are rather low too. Indeed, as we just saw the investment to start a Auntie Anne’s franchise is about $229,692 on average, much lower than other restaurant franchises. Indeed, the average investment is $1.4 million for fast food and restaurant franchises in the US, as per our intelligence.
This means that, if we were to consider that you would earn a 12% net profit margin (after all expenses have been paid for, unlike EBITDA), the payback period is 5.6 years, which is average.
In other words, you would need to wait 5.6 years to recoup your original investment of $229,692.
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Including a 5-year financial plan built with the latest Franchise Disclosure Document numbers
How does it compare vs. other franchises?
| Franchise | Investment ($) | Sales ($) | S/I Ratio | Payback (years) | Min. net worth ($) | Min. liquid capital ($) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chick-Fil-A | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/chick-fil-a-franchise-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 1,363,510 | 4,227,417 | 3.1 | 2.2 | - | - |
| Dunkin' Donuts | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/dunkin-donuts-franchise-costs-profits/ | Donuts | 779,000 | 1,056,521 | 1.4 | 4.9 | 500,000 | 250,000 |
| Domino's | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/dominos-franchise-profits-costs/ | Pizza | 398,725 | 1,286,428 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 250,000 | 75,000 |
| Krispy Kreme | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/krispy-kreme-franchise-costs-profits/ | Donuts | 824,000 | 3,400,000 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 2,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Little Caesars | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/little-caesars-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 1,022,850 | 798,113 | 0.8 | 8.5 | 350,000 | 150,000 |
| Wingstop | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/wingstop-franchise-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 631,695 | 1,460,459 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 1,200,000 | 600,000 |
| Steak 'n Shake | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/steak-n-shake-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger, Milshakes | 815,626 | 1,346,332 | 1.7 | 4.0 | 1,500,000 | 500,000 |
| Crumbl Cookies | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/crumbl-cookie-franchise-cost-profits/ | Sweets | 507,224 | 1,582,090 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 300,000 | 150,000 |
| Taco Bell | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/taco-bell-franchise-costs-profits/ | Mexican | 462,413 | 1,650,000 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 1,500,000 | 750,000 |
| Popeyes | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/popeyes-franchise-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 1,095,783 | 1,444,617 | 1.3 | 5.1 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Smoothie King | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/smoothie-king-franchise-costs-profits/ | Smoothie | 688,108 | 573,269 | 0.8 | 8.0 | 300,000 | 100,000 |
| Jersey Mike's | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/jersey-mikes-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 574,323 | 1,220,586 | 2.1 | 4.7 | 300,000 | 100,000 |
| Nothing Bundt Cakes | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/nothing-bundt-cakes-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sweets | 538,650 | 1,307,280 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 600,000 | 150,000 |
| Jimmy John's | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/jimmy-johns-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 513,650 | 874,845 | 1.7 | 3.9 | 300,000 | 80,000 |
| Texas Roadhouse | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/texas-roadhouse-franchise-costs-profits/ | Steakhouse | 4,209,500 | 2,955,534 | 0.7 | 9.5 | n.a. | 200,000 |
| Kung Fu Tea | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/kung-fu-tea-franchise-costs-profits/ | Bubble tea | 250,125 | 353,237 | 1.4 | 4.7 | n.a. | 25,000 |
| Wendy’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/wendys-franchise-cost-profits/ | Burger | 1,374,833 | 1,791,231 | 1.3 | 5.1 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Burger King | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/burger-king-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 1,242,950 | 1,215,970 | 1.0 | 6.8 | 1,500,000 | 500,000 |
| Sonic Drive-In | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/sonic-drive-in-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 1,467,083 | 1,617,000 | 1.1 | 6.0 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Panera Bread | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/panera-bread-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 2,290,500 | 2,599,432 | 1.1 | 5.9 | 7,500,000 | 3,000,000 |
| Pizza Hut | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/pizza-hut-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 935,575 | 906,911 | 1.0 | 6.9 | 700,000 | 350,000 |
| KFC | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/kfc-franchise-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 1,802,050 | 1,567,474 | 0.9 | 7.7 | 1,500,000 | 750,000 |
| Arby’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/arbys-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 1,184,975 | 1,126,263 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Dairy Queen | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/dairy-queen-franchise-costs-profits/ | Ice Cream | 1,404,220 | 1,143,180 | 0.8 | 8.2 | 750,000 | 400,000 |
| Jack in the Box | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/jack-in-the-box-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 2,195,800 | 1,755,503 | 0.8 | 12.5 | 1,000,000 | 250,000 |
| Papa John’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/papa-johns-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 353,695 | 1,101,127 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 750,000 | 250,000 |
| Zaxby’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/zaxbys-franchise-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 534,750 | 2,229,187 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Hardee’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/hardees-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 1,759,000 | 1,147,975 | 0.7 | 10.2 | 1,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Culver’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/culvers-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 4,044,500 | 3,051,762 | 0.8 | 8.8 | 2,000,000 | 350,000 |
| Five Guys | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/five-guys-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 511,225 | 1,203,366 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 500,000 | 250,000 |
| Carl’s Jr. | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/carls-jr-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 1,860,335 | 1,419,516 | 0.8 | 8.7 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Baskin-Robbins | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/baskin-robbins-franchise-costs-profits/ | Ice Cream | 465,100 | 316,815 | 0.7 | 9.8 | 250,000 | 125,000 |
| IHOP | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/ihop-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pancakes | 2,058,302 | 1,553,311 | 0.8 | 8.8 | 1,500,000 | 500,000 |
| Applebee’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/applebees-franchise-costs-profits/ | Casual American | 5,137,966 | 2,356,965 | 0.5 | 14.5 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Denny's | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/dennys-franchise-costs-profits/ | Casual American | 3,785,459 | 1,639,549 | 0.4 | 15.4 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Papa Murphy's | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/papa-murphys-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 433,174 | 580,441 | 1.3 | 5.0 | 275,000 | 125,000 |
| Auntie Anne's | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/auntie-annes-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pretzels | 229,692 | 343,135 | 1.5 | 5.6 | 300,000 | 100,000 |
| Firehouse Subs | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/firehouse-subs-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 613,186 | 888,356 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 350,000 | 100,000 |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/tropical-smoothie-cafe-franchise-costs-profits/ | Smoothie | 430,500 | 961,969 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 350,000 | 125,000 |
| Marco’s Pizza | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/marcos-pizza-franchises-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 437,625 | 895,523 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 400,000 | 100,000 |
| Cinnabon | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/cinnabon-franchises-costs-profits/ | Sweets | 276,062 | 394,897 | 1.4 | 5.8 | 300,000 | 120,000 |
| Cold Stone Creamery | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/cold-stone-creamery-franchise-costs-profits/ | Ice Cream | 310,956 | 417,588 | 1.3 | 5.0 | 250,000 | 100,000 |
| Jamba | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/jamba-franchise-costs-profits/ | Smoothie | 414,562 | 597,028 | 1.4 | 7.7 | 300,000 | 100,000 |
| Church’s Chicken | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/churchs-texas-chicken-fees-sales-costs/ | Chicken | 1,195,147 | 1,395,088 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 1,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Moe’s Southwest Grill | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/moes-southwest-grill-franchises-costs-profits/ | Mexican | 792,370 | 1,013,361 | 1.3 | 5.2 | 1,000,000 | 100,000 |
| Tim Hortons | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/tim-hortons-franchises-costs-profits/ | Coffee | 1,242,750 | 1,188,240 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 500,000 | 100,000 |
| Checkers & Rally's | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/checkers-franchises-profits-sales-costs/ | Burger | 837,847 | 1,039,773 | 1.2 | 5.4 | 750,000 | 250,000 |
| Charleys Philly Steaks | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/charleys-philly-steaks-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 509,806 | 786,233 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 500,000 | 100,000 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/buffalo-wild-wings-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 3,546,900 | 2,534,148 | 0.7 | 9.3 | 1,500,000 | 750,000 |
| Rita's Ice | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/ritas-ice-franchise-costs-profits/ | Ice Cream | 215,839 | 248,340 | 1.2 | 5.8 | 300,000 | 100,000 |
| A&W Restaurants | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/aw-restaurants-franchises-costs-profits/ | Burger | 786,750 | 851,212 | 1.1 | 6.2 | 350,000 | 150,000 |
| Hungry Howie’s Pizza | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/hungry-howies-pizza-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 419,682 | 806,899 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 750,000 | 200,000 |
| Bojangles | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/bojangles-franchise-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 1,658,000 | 1,801,057 | 1.1 | 6.1 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| McAlister’s Deli | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/mcalister-deli-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 1,424,963 | 1,865,861 | 1.3 | 5.1 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Round Table Pizza | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/round-table-pizza-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 783,250 | 1,037,816 | 1.3 | 5.0 | 500,000 | 200,000 |
| Qdoba Mexican Eats | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/qdoba-mexican-eats-franchise-costs-profits/ | Mexican | 659,250 | 972,962 | 1.5 | 4.5 | ||
| Freddy’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/freddys-franchise-costs-profits/ | Burger | 1,453,040 | 1,792,929 | 1.2 | 5.4 | 1,000,000 | 400,000 |
| Taco John’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/taco-johns-franchise-costs-profits/ | Mexican | 1,119,000 | 1,124,980 | 1.0 | 6.6 | 1,000,000 | 400,000 |
| Scooter’s Coffee | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/scooters-coffee-franchise-costs-profits/ | Coffee | 1,143,250 | 797,101 | 0.7 | 9.6 | 500,000 | 200,000 |
| Einstein Bros. Bagels | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/einstein-bros-bagels-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sandwich | 750,075 | 885,011 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 1,000,000 | 536,500 |
| Great American Cookies | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/great-american-cookies-franchise-costs-profits/ | Sweets | 385,275 | 452,771 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 250,000 | 100,000 |
| Wienerschnitzel | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/wienerschnitzel-franchise-costs-profits/ | Hot dogs | 873,300 | 880,980 | 1.0 | 6.6 | 600,000 | 250,000 |
| Blaze Pizza | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/blaze-pizza-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 865,450 | 1,096,432 | 1.3 | 7.9 | 500,000 | 300,000 |
| Wetzel's Pretzels | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/wetzels-pretzels-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pretzels | 377,571 | 748,857 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 300,000 | 50,000 |
| Pizza Ranch | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/pizza-ranch-franchise-costs-profits/ | Pizza | 3,268,300 | 1,174,088 | 0.4 | 18.6 | 1,000,000 | 297,000 |
| Del Taco | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/del-taco-franchise-costs-profits/ | Mexican | 1,406,850 | 1,345,341 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 2,000,000 | 500,000 |
| Schlotzsky’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/schlotzskys-franchises-costs-profits/ | Healthy, Salads | 1,102,933 | 1,053,333 | 0.3 | 22.2 | 1,000,000 | 300,000 |
| Captain D’s | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/captain-ds-franchise-profits-costs/ | Seafood | 982,778 | 1,067,816 | 0.4 | 19.0 | 1,000,000 | 350,000 |
| Biggby Coffee | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/biggby-coffee-franchise-profits-costs/ | Coffee | 310,575 | 648,352 | 0.3 | 20.0 | 300,000 | 100,000 |
| Which Wich | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/which-wich-franchises-profits-costs/ | Sandwich | 330,375 | 281,886 | 0.3 | 22.2 | 500,000 | 150,000 |
| Marble Slab Creamery | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/marble-slab-franchises-costs-profits/ | Ice Cream | 407,360 | 251,052 | 0.4 | 16.7 | 250,000 | 100,000 |
| Mountain Mike's Pizza | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/mountain-mikes-franchise-profits-costs/ | Pizza | 410,900 | 865,713 | 0.3 | 20.0 | 300,000 | 100,000 |
| Huddle House | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/huddle-house-franchise-cost-profits/ | Diner | 988,743 | 712,428 | 0.5 | 13.3 | 600,000 | 300,000 |
| L&L Hawaiian Barbecue | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/ll-hawaiian-barbecue-franchises-costs-profits/ | BBQ | 334,350 | 612,921 | 0.3 | 33.3 | 500,000 | 150,000 |
| Chicken Salad Chick | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/chicken-salad-chick-franchises-costs-profits/ | Healthy, Salads | 651,000 | 1,202,020 | 0.3 | 20.0 | 750,000 | 250,000 |
| Golden Chick | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/golden-chick-franchises-costs-profits/ | Chicken | 362,975 | 917,609 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2,000,000 | 425,000 |
| Perkins | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/perkins-franchise-costs-profits/ | Diner | 1,922,728 | 1,729,246 | 0.9 | 7.4 | 1,500,000 | 500,000 |
| Waba Grill | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/waba-grill-franchises-costs-profits/ | Teryaki | 454,000 | 466,536 | 1.0 | 6.5 | 1,000,000 | 250,000 |
| Bruster’s Ice Cream | https://sharpsheets.io/blog/brusters-franchises-profits-costs/ | Ice Cream | 663,925 | 466,696 | 0.7 | 9.5 | 375,000 | 150,000 |