Cookies by Design franchise
2025 filing · January 2, 2025Fewer locations
Cookies by Design at a glance
A gift bakery making decorated cookie bouquets, cookie cakes and gift baskets for pickup and delivery. At the end of 2024 there were 38 Cookies by Design locations in the US, 37 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2007
- 18 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Springfield, New Jersey
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $160K–$345K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6% + minimum
- 6% of gross sales for the first six months, then the greater of 6% or $500 a month
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 3% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 38
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 37
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- −13
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 22
- Most in Illinois, Florida and Texas
From Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Cookies by Design among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Cookies by Design | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $252,500 | Costs less than 62% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 38 | More than 60% of franchises |
How much a Cookies by Design franchise costs
Opening one Cookies by Design costs an estimated $160,000 to $345,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are furniture, fixtures and leasehold improvements ($35,000 to $120,000) and kitchen equipment, computer hardware and software ($30,000 to $65,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| To be Made Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Pre-Opening Travel, Lodging, and Meals for Initial Training | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Real Estate | $6,000 | $20,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Leasehold Improvements | $35,000 | $120,000 | |
| Kitchen Equipment, Computer Hardware and Software | $30,000 | $65,000 | |
| Initial Inventory and Supplies (Food, Paper and Merchandise) (three months) | $10,000 | $18,000 | |
| Business Licenses, Permits, etc. (first year) | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Signage | $7,000 | $20,000 | |
| Insurance Premiums (for the first year) and Utility Deposits | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Architect, Engineer and Other Professional Fees | $5,000 | $12,000 | |
| Advertising and Promotion (three months) | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| To be Made Additional Funds (three months which include working capital) | $25,000 | $35,000 | |
| Total | $160,000 | $345,000 | |
Source: Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, 2025 filing, page 15
Cookies by Design franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, 2025 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales for the first six months, then the greater of 6% or $500 a month. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 3% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
| Kitchen Equipment, Computer Hardware and Software | $30,000 to $65,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 |
| Additional Training | A reasonable fee ranging from $100 to approximately $1,500 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, 2025 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Cookies by Design 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: Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, 2025 filing, page 40
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $310K–$550K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Cookies by Design franchisees
Lenders approved 72 SBA-backed loans for Cookies by Design franchisees from 1995 to 2024, $7.99M in all: 71 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. Of the 69 that have ended, 59 were paid in full and 10 were charged off (14.5%). The other 3 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, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Cookies by Design | Typical bakery brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −12% / −26% | +3.3% / +5.9% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 12% / 28% | 3.2% / 11% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical bakery brand is the median of the 33 brands in bakery franchises with three years of counts.
How Cookies by Design compares
Of the 112 bakery franchises on this site, Cookies by Design is the 16th cheapest to open and the 40th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Cookies by Design | Typical bakery brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $160K | $341K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $345K | $720K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 38 | 16 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 74 of 112 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 112 brands in bakery franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 46 (−4) | 1 | +1 | −5 |
| 2023 | 42 (−4) | 1 | 0 | −4 |
| 2024 | 37 (−5) | 1 | 0 | −5 |
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.
Source: Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, 2025 filing, page 41
Where Cookies by Design locations are
At the end of 2024, Cookies by Design had locations in 22 states. The most are in Illinois, Florida and Texas.
- Illinois6
- Florida4
- Texas4
- Michigan3
- California2
- Louisiana2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Florida | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Texas | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Michigan | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| California | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ohio | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All 22 states
| Iowa | 1 |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| Minnesota | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| New Jersey | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| New York | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 |
Source: Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, 2025 filing, page 43
Who owns Cookies by Design?
Cookies by Design franchises are sold by Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC.
From Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC’s 2025 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 10. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | No bankruptcy of the franchisor. Two of its officers were officers and directors of Cosi, Inc., which filed for bankruptcy in February 2020. |
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: Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 11
Cookies by Design filings
The figures on this page come from Cookies Franchise Holdings LLC’s 2025 filing, issued January 2, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | January 2, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other bakery franchises
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Cookies by Design is also on these lists: retail franchises, food franchises.