Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise
A soft pretzel shop offering freshly baked pretzels, dips and drinks. At the end of 2025 there were 88 Ben's Soft Pretzels locations in the US, 81 franchised and 7 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $122K–$345K
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Royalty
- 6%; venue locations 7.5%
- Locations, 2025
- 88+4 in 3 yrs
Compare with similar brands Estimate your costs
Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- On the SBA Franchise Directory
From Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise Corporation’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise costs
Opening Standard store costs an estimated $122,200 to $344,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 18
Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales; venue locations pay 7.5%. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 12
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Ben's Soft Pretzels publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 39
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 75 (−2) | 6 | 6 |
| 2024 | 78 (+3) | 7 | 10 |
| 2025 | 81 (+3) | 7 | 3 |
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.
Source: Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 43
How Ben's Soft Pretzels compares
Of the 27 bakery franchises on this site, Ben's Soft Pretzels is the 3rd cheapest to open and the 15th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Ben's Soft Pretzels | Typical bakery |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $122K | $428K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% |
| Closed or left per year | 8.3% | 3.7% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | +5.2% | +8.1% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 21 of 27 |
Typical is the median across the 27 brands in bakery franchises.
