Auntie Anne's franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening an Auntie Anne's franchise takes Up to $503,500 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is not disclosed in the filings we cover. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 7% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. To qualify, Auntie Anne's asks for $120,000 in liquid cash and a $400,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Auntie Anne's franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | n/d | $503,500 | Up to $503,500 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $400,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $120,000 | $120,000 | $120,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | n/d | $503,500 | Up to $503,500 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Auntie Anne's's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 7% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
See the full Auntie Anne's cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
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How Auntie Anne's's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 785 units; 816 units opened, 456 closed, ending at 1,135 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Auntie Anne's or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Auntie Anne's for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Auntie Anne's is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Auntie Anne's grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Auntie Anne's can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Auntie Anne's franchise
Auntie Anne's is a food & beverage franchisor with 1,135 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 785 units; its filings record 816 unit openings and 456 closures, ending at 1,135 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Auntie Anne's Franchisor SPV LLC.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
You will operate an Auntie Anne’s® retail shop offering fresh baked soft pretzels, lemonade and related foods and beverages.
Auntie Anne's franchise: quick answers
- How much does an Auntie Anne's franchise cost?
- Up to $503,500 all-in to open, per Auntie Anne's's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Auntie Anne's units are there?
- 1,135 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Auntie Anne's's units held up?
- 86.1% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is Auntie Anne's SBA-eligible?
- Auntie Anne's is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.