Bruegger's Bagels franchise
2026 filing · April 28, 2026
Bruegger's Bagels at a glance
A bagel bakery-cafe serving fresh bagels, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and coffee. At the end of 2025 there were 169 Bruegger's Bagels locations in the US, 45 franchised and 124 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Bruegger's Franchise Corporation
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 1993
- 33 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Denver, Colorado
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $694K–$1.23M
- A traditional bakery
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus a 3.5% marketing contribution
- Brand fund
- 3.5%
- 3.5% of gross sales, paid weekly (1.0% under a license agreement)
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 169
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 45
- Company-owned
- 124
- States
- 21
- Most in Minnesota, New York and North Carolina
Support and records
From Bruegger's Franchise Corporation’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Bruegger's Bagels among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Bruegger's Bagels | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $960,475 | Costs more than 82% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 169 | More than 84% of franchises |
How much a Bruegger's Bagels franchise costs
Opening a traditional bakery costs an estimated $693,800 to $1,227,150. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are building and leasehold improvements ($278,000 to $508,000) and furniture, fixtures & equipment ($222,800 to $272,900). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Real Property | $25,000 | $56,250 | |
| Design, Permitting Fees | $36,000 | $79,000 | |
| Building and Leasehold Improvements | $278,000 | $508,000 | |
| Signage | $21,000 | $103,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $222,800 | $272,900 | |
| Site Work | $0 | $10,000 | |
| Technology Suite | $24,000 | $42,000 | |
| Start-up Inventory & Supplies | $10,000 | $14,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $10,000 | ||
| Insurance | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Utility Deposits & Licenses | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Legal and Accounting | $5,000 | $30,000 | |
| Training | $6,000 | $12,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $15,000 | $45,000 | |
| Total | $693,800 | $1,227,150 | |
Source: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 19
Bruegger's Bagels franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus a 3.5% marketing contribution. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3.5% of gross sales, paid weekly (1.0% under a license agreement). |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 14
Sales and earnings
No figures Bruegger's Bagels does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 56
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1M–$1.9M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Bruegger's Bagels compares
Of the 58 breakfast franchises on this site, Bruegger's Bagels is the 34th cheapest to open and the 7th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Bruegger's Bagels | Typical breakfast brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $694K | $640K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.23M | $1.2M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3.5% | 1.4% | 2% |
| US locations | 169 | 13 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −13.5% | +6.7% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 46 of 58 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 58 brands in breakfast franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 (−2) | 136 |
| 2022 | 52 (−1) | 135 |
| 2023 | 49 (−3) | 132 |
| 2024 | 48 (−1) | 130 |
| 2025 | 45 (−3) | 124 |
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: franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 55 to 45 (−10, −18%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 56
2021–2022: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2024 filing, page 56
Where Bruegger's Bagels locations are
At the end of 2025, Bruegger's Bagels had locations in 21 states. The most are in Minnesota, New York and North Carolina.
- Minnesota24
- New York20
- North Carolina20
- California17
- Ohio15
- Massachusetts12
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 3 | 21 | 24 |
| New York | 0 | 20 | 20 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 14 | 20 |
| California | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Ohio | 3 | 12 | 15 |
| Massachusetts | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| Arizona | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Iowa | 0 | 8 | 8 |
All 21 states
| Michigan | 6 |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 3 |
| Alabama | 2 |
| Florida | 2 |
| Kentucky | 2 |
| South Carolina | 2 |
| Tennessee | 2 |
| Texas | 1 |
| Vermont | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 |
Source: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, page 57
Who owns Bruegger's Bagels?
Bruegger's Bagels franchises are sold by Bruegger's Franchise Corporation.
From Bruegger's Franchise Corporation’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 12. |
|---|---|
| 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: Bruegger's Franchise Corporation, 2026 filing, litigation on page 12, bankruptcy on page 12
Bruegger's Bagels filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Bruegger's Franchise Corporation’s 2026 filing, issued April 28, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 28, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | NASAA depository | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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Bruegger's Bagels is also on these lists: bakery franchises, restaurant franchises, food franchises.