The Baked Bear franchise
2026 filing · March 25, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
The Baked Bear at a glance
A dessert shop serving custom ice cream sandwiches on fresh-baked cookies, plus cookie pies, floats and sundaes. At the end of 2025 there were 34 The Baked Bear locations in the US, 33 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- BB Franchise, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2014
- 12 years of selling franchises
- First location
- 2013
- Franchisor based in
- San Diego, California
- Typical size
- 1,000–1,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $280K–$871K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- $28,000 for an existing franchisee's additional store
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid monthly. A marketing fund of up to 1.5% may be added
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present; up to 1.5% of gross sales once a fund is set up
- Renewal fee
- $1,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 34
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 33
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- +9
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 10
- Most in California, Texas and Florida
Support and records
From BB Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 176; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
The Baked Bear among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Baked Bear | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $575,194 | Costs more than 69% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 34 | More than 58% of franchises |
How much a The Baked Bear franchise costs
Opening one The Baked Bear costs an estimated $279,548 to $870,839. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are build-out/leasehold improvements ($130,400 to $500,000) and furniture, fixtures and equipment ($50,000 to $130,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Travel and Living Expenses while Training | $5,000 | $30,000 | |
| Real Estate/Lease (3 months + deposit) | $8,000 | $49,980 | |
| Build-Out/Leasehold Improvements | $130,400 | $500,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $50,000 | $130,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $12,300 | $20,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $23,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $3,000 | |
| Business License and Permits | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Professional/Legal Fees | $6,000 | $35,000 | |
| Computer, POS System, Security System, Office Equipment | $3,900 | $6,900 | |
| Insurance | $1,239 | $2,250 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $500 | $1,500 | |
| Social Media Ad Fees (3 Months) | $1,209 | ||
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $279,548 | $870,839 | |
Source: BB Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 18
The Baked Bear franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000, $28,000 for an existing franchisee's additional store. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: BB Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid monthly. A marketing fund of up to 1.5% may be added. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present; up to 1.5% of gross sales once a fund is set up. |
| Transfer Fee for Franchise Agreement | 50% of the then-current Initial Franchise Fee (Currently, $17,500) |
| Renewal Fee | $1,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: BB Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures The Baked Bear publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: BB Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 54
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $430K–$750K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to The Baked Bear franchisees
Lenders approved 7 SBA 7(a) loans for The Baked Bear franchisees from 2019 to 2026, $2.04M in all. All 2 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 5 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | The Baked Bear | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +14% / +38% | +6.2% / +18% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 3.4% / 21% | 2.4% / 9.5% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical ice cream brand is the median of the 33 brands in ice cream franchises with three years of counts.
How The Baked Bear compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, The Baked Bear is the 48th cheapest to open and the 35th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Baked Bear | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $280K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $871K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 34 | 18 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 76 of 101 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 101 brands in ice cream franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 23 (−1) | 1 | +2 | −3 |
| 2024 | 29 (+6) | 1 | +7 | −1 |
| 2025 | 33 (+4) | 1 | +5 | −1 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: BB Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 57
Where The Baked Bear locations are
At the end of 2025, The Baked Bear had locations in 10 states. The most are in California, Texas and Florida.
- California8
- Texas7
- Florida4
- New Jersey4
- Oklahoma4
- Georgia2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Texas | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Florida | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Georgia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: BB Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 58
Who owns The Baked Bear?
The Baked Bear franchises are sold by BB Franchise, LLC.
From BB Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: BB Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
The Baked Bear filings
The figures on this page come from BB Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 25, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 25, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other ice cream franchises
All ice cream franchises
The Baked Bear is also on these lists: bakery franchises, food franchises.