Flip Flop Shops franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Flip Flop Shops franchise takes $182,900 – $349,400 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $30,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of 1%. To qualify, Flip Flop Shops asks for $75,000 in liquid cash. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Flip Flop Shops franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $182,900 | $349,400 | $182,900 to $349,400 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $182,900 | $349,400 | $182,900 to $349,400 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Flip Flop Shops's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 8 years |
See the full Flip Flop Shops cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Flip Flop Shops's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Flip Flop Shops's disclosed cost sits against the Retail category:
- Minimum startup cost of $182,900 — about in line with the Retail median of $165,000.
- Initial franchise fee of $30,000 — about 18% below the Retail median of $36,750.
Category medians are computed from the Retail brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Retail franchises
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How Flip Flop Shops's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 48 units; 88 units opened, 93 closed, ending at 56 units. (partial records: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
Not enough history to compute a survival figure — we need at least three years of unit data, and we don't extrapolate.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Flip Flop Shops 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 Flip Flop Shops 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 Flip Flop Shops 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 Flip Flop Shops 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 Flip Flop Shops 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 Flip Flop Shops franchise
Flip Flop Shops is a retail franchisor with 56 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 48 units; its filings record 88 unit openings and 93 closures, ending at 56 units (partial records: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Bearpaw Holdings, LLC.
Litigation history not in our data for Flip Flop Shops — FDD Item 3 is the primary source to check directly.
From the franchisor's materials
Founded in 2004, Flip Flop Shops is the authentic retail chain exclusively devoted to the hottest brands and latest styles of flip flops and casual footwear from big names such as Reef, Rainbow Sandals, Cobian, Sanuk, OluKai, Havaianas, and Birkenstock. Its mission is to help people “Free Your Toes®” and embrace the relaxing benefits of flip flops and casual footwear for a healthier, low stress lifestyle.
Flip Flop Shops franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Flip Flop Shops franchise cost?
- $182,900 – $349,400 all-in to open, per Flip Flop Shops's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Flip Flop Shops units are there?
- 56 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).